


Hands Stained Blue

by PorcelainPlayground



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe, Android Discimination, Big brother Connor, Car Accident, Family, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Poor Health, Sick Character, Swearing, Violence, failed revolution
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-27
Updated: 2018-10-04
Packaged: 2019-06-17 00:10:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 24,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15448950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PorcelainPlayground/pseuds/PorcelainPlayground
Summary: After the car crash that changed their lives forever, Hank Anderson ends up buying an android to help care for his son, Cole. Being short on money, Hank turns to a collection of second-hand androids and stumbles across Connor, who quickly becomes the second son Hank never knew he wanted.





	1. Swirling Colours

**Author's Note:**

> I have a million other things I should be working on but I've hopped on the DBH bandwagon and now there's no stopping me.
> 
> This whole thing is planned out, it's just a matter of actually writing it so hopefully, there shouldn't be too much of a wait between updates. I'm making this story my first priority at the moment so I'll just work on this until I get it finished.
> 
> This probably goes without saying but there will be spoilers for people who haven't finished the game yet so, please bear that in mind if you don't want certain plot details spoiled.

Hank Anderson had always been pretty good at trusting his instincts when it came to sketchy-looking houses and this one was no exception. 

It was a big, ugly building with an untameable garden growing mere meters away from the front door. A majority of the windows had been boarded up, hiding whatever the hell went on in there from the world outside. 

Hank stopped at its rod iron gate, topped with spires. It looked like it was specifically designed to keep people out and under any other circumstances, Hank would have been more than happy to give this place a miss.

Not now, though. 

The lieutenant was already aware that he’d exhausted all other options. So, it was with a heavy heart and nagging sense of regret that he pulled open the gate and made his way to the doorstep. 

The loaded gun tucked behind the waistband of Hank’s trousers felt heavy. He reached for it quickly, pressing his fingers against its side and making sure that his coat covered it completely. There was no way of telling what the guy inside would be like and if the exterior of his house was any indication, he didn’t seem too friendly.

Hank’s fingers hovered over the doorbell. He allowed himself a final sigh of resignation before bringing them down hard and holding them in place until he heard the lock click open.

A man answered the door, seemingly hostile at first but relaxed somewhat upon meeting Hank.

“Ah, Mr Wood, is it?”

For a moment Hank was taken aback before remembering the conversation he’d had with this man online. A quick google search of the surname ‘Anderson’ would have promptly revealed his long history with the Detroit Police Department. He figured that selling androids without a permit was a risky business and having a lieutenant showing up at your door in the dead of night wouldn’t go down well. Besides, if he was using a fake name, it may as well be a dick joke.

“Yeah, that’s me.”

“Great. Right this way.” The man stepped aside, giving Hank plenty of room to pass the threshold and enter the foyer. He watched Hank keenly as the lieutenant looked about the house. “I’m Zlatko. You’ll have to forgive the state of the place, we had a little incident a while ago.”

Hank’s ears pricked. “Incident?”

Zlatko nodded. “Nothing to worry about. I was attacked by a deviant. It made off with my TR400.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

He wasn’t. In actuality, Hank couldn’t care less what happened between this guy and his androids. Still, he persuaded himself to listen politely with the unspoken promise that he’d treat himself to a glass of that nice scotch whiskey later on.

“Here.” Zlatko veered off to the right. “I keep it in the basement.”

Hank lagged a few paces behind, still taking in the décor. He had to admit that it was a damn sight better than the outside, with large wooden bookcases and intricately patterned throw rugs. Still, there were obvious signs that some kind of fight had taken place. Chunks of the balustrade had been blown out and bullet holes littered the walls. Hank decided not to comment on it and followed the man down a flight of stairs.

They passed stalls of some kind. Hank thought it suspicious for a barn renovation to belong to a house this far into the city and to be so deep underground nonetheless.

“What’s that?”

“Hmm?” Zlatko stopped prattling on about something or other and turned to what caught Hank’s attention. “Oh, those are some experiments I’ve been working on. I doubt I’d ever make money off them, it’s more of a passion project.”

Each stall was dark but Hank could just about make out humanoid shapes. Wires hung carelessly from the backs of heads and eye sockets alike. The scene was downright disturbing, even to someone like Hank and he hastily hurried past them.

Zlatko stopped at the final stable door. He slid the bolt on the front and pulled it open.

Hank tried to peer inside but it was too dark to make out any distinct shapes. All he could see was a light blue LED.

“Alright. Get out.”

There was no verbal response but Hank could clearly distinguish the tell-tale sounds of footsteps from within the stall. Moments later an android stepped out of the shadows, looking very different to the ones he’d seen previously – good different, that is. The android in front of him had no stray wires and was more similar to a human than machine, though Hank couldn’t speak for the others.

He looked well-groomed and wore a basic white button-up shirt, complete with black slacks. Hank struggled to restrain a smirk. Clearly, Zlatko was desperate for a sale. Even going as far as to dress the android up nicely in the hope that it looked somewhat professional despite the whole ordeal taking place in the basement of some shady house.

Hank turned to Zlatko. “Does it work?”

“Yeah, I fixed it up a few weeks ago but I ran a diagnosis on its software last night just to make sure everything runs smoothly.”

“And does it?” Hank was obviously sceptical.

Compared to the other androids Zlatko was selling, this one was notably cheaper. Hank figured that there had to be a reason why.

“That’s the thing.” Zlatko sighed. “There are parts of data that are corrupted but it runs like normal. I also couldn’t figure out what model it is either, so it might be difficult trying to find specific biocomponents. I had to salvage and modify what I could from the others just to fix it up.”

“Right.” Hank forced the word out. He knew there had to be issues with the thing but that didn’t mean he was happy to hear them.

“As I mentioned to you in my email, there are others available if you’d be interested in seeing them.” Zlatko’s voice was ridiculously friendly, clearly, he wasn’t a fan of the way Hank looked at the android with mild disinterest.

“How much?”

“They start from $5, 500.”

Hank grimaced. He could swallow his pride, walk into a Cyberlife store and buy one brand new for $3,000 more at that rate.

Silence lapsed between them for a moment before Zlatko spoke again.

“What’s your reason for wanting an android, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Ah yes, the reason Hank was here in the first place. 

“It’s for my son.” The lieutenant said firmly, almost as if he were trying to reinstate the fact within himself.

Zlatko noted the hostility in Hank’s voice and promptly dropped the matter. Instead, he moved to the android’s side, clasping a hand on his shoulder.

“Well, while I can’t tell you what it was used for before I got my hands on it, I can assure you that it’s been able to complete domestic chores without a hitch. The thing is perfectly obedient.”

Hank knew realistically that if he was getting an android, it’d have to be this one. He couldn’t afford anything else, not with the price of Cole’s medicine constantly rising.

“We agreed on $3,700, right?”

“Yes.” Zlatko tried to hide his avarice with enthusiasm. “I can also set it up for you.”

“That’d be great,” Hank muttered with obvious reluctance.

Zlatko turned to shuffle a few papers on his desk, while Hank withdrew his wallet. It was obvious that the man was just trying to appear busy while Hank counted the money, however, the lieutenant was thankful regardless. He had never been rich and while $3,700 might not seem like much to a man who lived in a mansion, it was all Hank could spare.

He handed the money over and put away his wallet. It felt light in Hank’s pocket and the lieutenant pretended not to feel the small sting of wounded pride.

“There is something else I should mention…”

Hank narrowed his eyes. That was never good, especially once he’d paid for the damn thing.

“Because I can’t find records of its model, I am not able to change the name it’s registered under.”

Oh. 

Hank blinked, honestly expecting it to be something a lot more dire than that.

“Frankly, I don’t give a shit what it’s called.”

“That’s okay, then.” Zlatko seemed somewhat relieved. “From what I could find out, it responds to ‘Connor’.”

Hank was honestly just happy that the name sounded normal enough.

“Thanks.” Insincerity hung off the word but Zlatko didn’t seem bothered by it. Instead, he took Hank’s hand in a brief handshake before showing him to the front door.

Hank felt the android’s cold, calculated stare on his back as they were taken upstairs. The whole situation left Hank feeling extremely uneasy. Connor was a machine, he told himself. An android is no different to a damn smartphone, so why did the whole exchange feel wrong?

Hank ignored the overbearing sense of regret and walked to the door. Zlatko wished him a safe trip home and promptly shut the door on Hank and his new purchase.

Hank hovered on the doorstep for a moment, he didn’t like the way Connor’s eyes tracked his every move – analysing him.

“How may I address you?”

The sudden voice startled Hank and he whipped his head to the source of the noise, finding Connor stood straight, hands clasped behind his back.

“What?”

“What is your name?” Connor amended. He spoke carefully, making sure Hank understood each and every word.

The lieutenant sneered, he hated being patronized – especially by a machine nonetheless. There was a long silence between them and Hank considered not replying at all but figured that the android would likely find out sooner or later. 

“Hank Anderson.” He muttered quietly, though he was sure Connor heard him.

The android smiled politely. “It’s a pleasure to work for you, Hank.”

Hank figured that the response was likely pre-programmed, it still weirded him out though. The lieutenant nodded stiffly and walked to his car. He honestly expected some nonsense from Connor about where he was supposed to sit but instead, the android slid into the passenger seat without a word. 

Hank turned his key in the ignition and began the drive back home. He glanced at Connor who sat rigid in the seat, with his hands tucked neatly on his lap. The android seemed the picture of composure, only betrayed by the flickering brown eyes that tried desperately to absorb as much of the outside world as possible, even if the dull grey streets weren’t particularly interesting by Hank’s standards. 

When Connor seemed to tire of looking outside, he turned to study the interior of Hank’s car. 

“You’re a police officer.” Connor’s eyes settled on the worn badge Hank had nonchalantly tossed onto his dashboard after leaving work.

“I’m a _lieutenant_.” The bite returned to Hank’s voice.

Connor’s LED momentarily flickered a bright yellow as he processed the information before settling back on blue.

They lapsed into a tense silence for a short while, broken only by the muffled pounding of rain on the windshield.

“So, uh,” Hank hated the uncertainty in his words. “What exactly did you do before you were resold?”

Hank wasn’t the kind of guy who liked to make small talk, especially with a machine that likely didn’t care about awkward silences, but Hank figured that if Connor ended up being an ex-sex android they might have some issues.

“I don’t know.” Connor hesitated. “My earliest memory dates back three months ago. If my analysis is correct, I appeared to be in a junkyard of some type. Presumably, I failed to please my previous owners and they decided to dispose of me in a quick and efficient manner.”

Hank grunted. That didn’t bode well for him. Usually, people want to make some money off old androids by selling them back to Cyberlife and the fact that Connor’s previous owners – whoever they are – would rather just dump him altogether set Hank even more on edge.

“I don’t suppose you remember anything else?”

Connor’s brow seemed to furrow in concentration as the LED flickered between yellow and blue.

“I have data from 4 years ago, the files appear to be corrupted though.”

Hank rolled his eyes. “Convenient.”

“But I can tell you my model and serial number.”

Hank froze.

“Wait. What?”

Connor just blinked at him.

“I can tell you my-“

“Yeah, yeah, I heard you.”

Connor sat back in his seat, LED whirling.

“It’s just – that guy told me there was no way of figuring out your model.”

Connor shook his head. “I stated my information when I was reactivated for the first time, he just didn’t believe me.”

“Why wouldn’t he believe you?”

“He told me that there was no such thing as RK800 androids.”

“RK800…” Hank repeated quietly. 

He was definitely not an expert on androids, hell he wasn’t even sure how they worked but he did make an effort to do some basic research on what the best models for domestic service were. If memory served, there was no mention of an RK800 android. Which either meant Connor was, in fact, lying or that there was something else to the machine that had yet to be discovered.

Connor’s eyes trailed over the dashboard, noticing a small picture fixed in place beside the wheel. The android leant a little closer, analysing it. It was a printed picture – uncommon in a world where it could be cheaply displayed digitally. The image was of a family. Hank could clearly be identified, he stood beside a child and another woman. 

“Is that your family?” Connor asked.

Hank turned his attention to the picture and tensed.

“Cole is my family.”

“Then who is the lady in the picture?”

The question seemed innocent enough but it set a fire alight in the lieutenant’s eyes and he grit his teeth before responding.

“My ex-wife.”

Connor waited for Hank to calm down somewhat. It was clear that the android had said something wrong but Connor couldn’t place the error. Hank seemed open to conversation one minute then completely opposed to it the next.

“Your stress levels have risen by 16%. Driving while anxious has an increased risk of experiencing a motor accid-“

“Shut up!” Hank yelled. His voice resonating throughout the car and causing Connor to purse his lips together quickly.

The lieutenant felt his hands tremble and he consequently gripped the steering wheel even tighter.

Hank Anderson knew what a fucking car crash was. He knew all too well and didn’t need some piece-of-shit android bringing up unwanted memories at a time like this.  
In fact, maybe buying an android wasn’t a good idea. 

Maybe his life would be so much better if he pulled over right now and ditched the android at the side of the road. Somebody else could find it and take it off his hands. Better yet, he could smash it up and nobody would ever figure out that Lieutenant Hank Anderson ever owned an android, to begin with.

Still, while the thought was tempting, Hank knew it was never really an option.

Cole desperately needed someone to look after him while Hank worked late. Babysitters were a liability and Hank needed someone who could work whenever he needed them to. They also cost a fucking fortune and Hank seriously doubted he’d be able to afford to pay any potential employee after wasting $3,700 on a piece of glorified plastic.

He sighed to himself. 

Hank loved his son – he really did. Cole was the most important thing in his life. That didn’t mean parenting wasn’t difficult. After a long and exhausting court battle, Hank had managed to gain sole custody of his son and while he wouldn’t trade him for the world, Hank’s newfound responsibilities were almost suffocating.

The lieutenant glanced over at Connor. The android was studying him cautiously. The corners of his lips twitched sporadically as if he wanted to say something but Hank just dismissed it and turned his full attention back to the road ahead.

Thankfully, Connor didn’t say anything else for the duration of the car ride, opting to watch as streaks of rain ran down the car window in silence. Hank fought off memories of his past and tried to keep his attention solely on the road, though it was proving difficult. 

Less than 10 minutes later, Hank found himself pulling into the driveway of his house. It wasn’t fancy by any means but there was more than enough room for him and his son, so he was thankful for that, at least. 

Connor didn’t move until his new owner exited the car. Lieutenant Hank Anderson shuffled his way to the front door, seemingly in no hurry to escape the rain. He fished his keys out of his jacket pocket and inserted the house key into the lock.

Connor watched the way Hank slowly turned the key, noting that the action was considerably restrained compared to the somewhat brash way he’d been acting previously.  
Hank slowly opened the door and stepped inside, motioning for Connor to follow suit.

The android moved into the house and looked about, taking in as many details as he could; desperate to learn more about the man who had purchased him.

“May I have permission to connect to the wireless local area network?”

Hank, who seemed busy quietening his dog, turned to him, voice reduced to a whisper. “Yeah, sure. Just be quiet. I don’t want you-“

“Dad?”

The creaking of a door was heard, followed by footsteps. A child emerged from the shadows, rubbing his eyes and yawning. Upon seeing Hank, the child moved forward faster, stumbling over his own feet as drowsiness controlled his movements.

Connor noted the similarities between the boy in the picture and the boy in front of him. Though there was an obvious age gap, the boy was still recognisable as ‘Cole’.

Cole staggered forward until he collided with his father. The boy wrapped his arms around Hank’s waist and hugged him weakly. 

“Hi, son.” Hank reached down to lightly ruffle Cole’s hair. “Sorry for waking you up.”

“When did you,” Cole yawned before continuing. “When did you leave?”

“About an hour ago. I wasn’t gone long. Promise.”

Cole nodded, eyes still half-lidded and hazy from sleep.

Connor took this moment to perform a full scan on Hank’s son, surprised to find numerous anomalies in such a small child.

“He’s sick.”

Connor hadn’t realised he said anything until Hank turned to glare at him.

At the sound of Connor’s voice, Cole seemed to shake the remnants of sleep from his body. The child turned to look past Hank at the android.

“This is, uh, Connor, I guess. He’s gonna be staying with us for a while.”

Cole’s eyes widened in amazement and he stepped towards their newest addition.

“He’s an android.” The child whispered, mostly to himself.

Hank nodded his head. “Yeah, he is.”

“But- but you said that-“ 

“I know.” Hank sighed and ran a hand over his face. “He’s here to help, um, around the house and stuff.”

Cole stood directly in front of Connor and looked up to meet his eyes.

“Hi, Connor!” Cole beamed, a look of pure happiness covered his face as he bounced on the balls of his feet.

Connor was caught between Cole’s smile and Hank’s sneer. He wasn’t sure how he was supposed to act in this situation. This was the first child he had encountered and while he felt inclined to engage him in friendly conversation, Hank’s hateful stare stopped him. Instead, Connor opted on a safer compromise and smiled warmly at the boy.

Cole seemed overjoyed by the android’s response and reached forward to take Connor by the hand.

“Hold on, son.” Hank placed a gentle hand on his child’s shoulder. “It’s nearly 3:00 in the morning. There’ll be loads of time to play with Connor tomorrow.”

“But Dad-“

“Sorry, kid, I don’t make the rules.” Hank shrugged, taking Cole by the hand and leading him back to his room. Cole protested weakly but the previous exhaustion was already quickly returning.

Cole paused in the doorway and gave the android a small smile. “Goodnight, Connor!”

Before Connor had time to respond, Hank ushered Cole into the room and could be heard wishing his son sweet dreams.

Hank left the room a few minutes later, closing the door quietly to avoid waking Cole a second time that night.

The lieutenant almost walked past Connor, seemingly forgotten the android was there.

“Your son,” Hank jumped at the sound of Connor’s voice, muttering curses under his breath as his heart raced. “He has traumatic pneumothorax, doesn’t he?”

“How the fuck do you know that?” The softness Hank displayed around Cole was gone and replaced with quiet hostility.

“I am able to complete a full body scan on humans. I detected an irregularity with Cole Anderson’s breathing pattern, on closer inspection I noticed that his lung was irreversibly damaged.”

“Can all androids do that?”

“Do what?”

“Scan humans.”

There was a moment of hesitation before Connor spoke. “No, I don’t think so.”

Hank nodded in acknowledgement but didn’t press the matter. The lieutenant sighed heavily and ground his teeth before speaking. “It was a car crash that did it to him.” Hank let his Head hand forward. “He needed emergency surgery and it was an android that fucked up the operation on his lung.”

Connor tried to gauge Hank’s current emotion, but his vision was obscured by curtains of grey hair. 

Hank straightened up and looked Connor in the eye. 

“I bought you to look after him, okay? Your first priority is always Cole Anderson. That includes helping him with homework, getting him ready for school and making sure he takes his meds and stuff.” Hank paused for breath. “There have been way too many close-calls when it came to Cole’s health and I’m not taking any more risks. If you scan him or whatever and see that something’s wrong, you come straight to me, got it?”

Connor nodded. “Yes, Hank.”

“Good.”

Hank then retreated to his bedroom, Connor watched him until the door clicked shut and he was left in the darkness of the Andersons’ living room.

Without any further orders, Connor stood in the exact same spot, his LED fixed on yellow as he reviewed the day’s events.


	2. Gourmet Dining

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for sticking with me on this!! I really appreciate every one of you who reads this, it means the world to me. I'm also sorry about being pretty late with replying to comments. I really love to hear what you think of this story so far.
> 
> I've also fallen for the AU that Gavin and Kamski are related. I have no idea where it came from but I've adopted it so I guess this is now an AU within an AU, it's AU-ception.

Hank awoke the next day to the sound of his alarm. 

He groaned and rolled over in bed, thrashing about in an attempt to shut the damn thing up. When Hank eventually did manage to grab his phone, he brought it close to his face and attempted to unlock it, the bright light of the screen was way too garish in his dark bedroom.

This was new. Usually, Cole served as his daily wake-up call. The kid always seemed to be up bright and early with energy to spare – Hank had no idea how he did it.

Already pissed off about the rather loud and annoying way he started the day, Hank shuffled into the kitchen more than ready for his morning cup of coffee.

Hank stopped before his toes could touch the cold tiles of the kitchen floor. Cole was seated at the table, his legs swinging as he bounced on the chair, all the while talking animatedly to Connor. The android smiled encouragingly and prompted Cole to go on about whatever it was he was talking about. A large bowl of cereal sat on the table in front of Cole as Connor rummaged through draws.

Oh yeah, he bought an android last night, didn’t he?

Noticing the lieutenant for the first time, Connor looked up. “Good morning, Hank.”

Cole stopped midsentence and turned to where Hank was standing “Hi, Dad!”

Hank muttered something incoherent in response and shuffled to the coffee machine, running on autopilot 

Cole scooted to the edge of the seat and motioned for Connor to come closer. The android left his kitchen scavenger hunt, paced across the room and leaned down so that he wasn’t towering over the child. Cole took this moment to brace a hand on Connor’s shoulder and whisper loudly in his ear.

“Dad gets pretty grumpy in the morning if he doesn’t have coffee.”

Connor could tell from the way Hank shifted that he had obviously heard the conversation.

“Maybe your dad would like it if I prepared his coffee before he wakes up?”

Though Connor spoke to Cole, he kept a watchful eye on Hank for any signs of opposition. Hank didn’t move so Connor figured that it was probably okay.

Cole nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah! I tried one morning but it was too hard.”

Hank allowed himself to smile at the memory. Cole had pushed a chair up against the counter and tried to make his dad ‘the world's best cup of coffee', however, the kid couldn't make sense of the buttons and settled for getting Hank a glass of juice instead. He had no idea who the kid took after for his kind-hearted nature but it sure as hell wasn’t him.

Connor resumed searching the kitchen, opening draws until he found what he was looking for. 

Hank watched amusedly from the side-lines as Connor placed a spoon in front of Cole before turning to the fridge and retrieving a carton of milk. 

They were never this organised in the mornings, Hank thought solemnly. Mornings were always a rush, with Hank chasing after Cole to get him to take his medicine before the bus left. It was worth it, though. Hank could take Fowler’s bullshit any day for the peace of mind that his son was alright.

Hank was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of laughter. He looked up to see Cole laughing heartily beside Connor. To Hank's surprise, the android in question was smiling warmly at the child, his hand pressed to his mouth to refrain from laughing outright. It was a weird sight, in fact, Hank didn’t even know androids had a sense of humour – maybe it was just Connor.

He narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “What are you two laughing about?”

Connor turned to Hank, stopped only by Cole who sprung out of his seat to stop him.

“No. No, you can’t tell him!” The kid looked at Connor as if he was missing something obvious. “It’s a secret!”

Hank could have sworn he saw a small smile tug at the corners of Connor’s lips.

“Okay, I won’t tell anybody.”

Cole curled his right hand into a tiny fist and stuck out his pinky finger.

“Do you promise?”

The LED on the side of Connor’s head flickered yellow as he tried to process the situation. Hank treasured the look of confusion on the android’s face.

The lieutenant had already become well acquainted with the pinky promise. They had used it when Hank promised Cole they could get a dog, they settled on a St. Bernard puppy that had very quickly grown to be almost as spoiled at Cole, himself. They had used it when Hank promised that he would show up to Cole’s school play, the kid only had an ensemble part but he was still the proudest parent sat in the audience. They had used it when Cole was lying in a hospital bed hooked up to a life support machine and asking his dad if he was going to be okay.

Hank shivered at the memory and forced it away. Cole was fine. He was doing better than ever and Hank would personally see to it that the kid never brushed that close to death ever again.

Connor slowly bent down and mimicked the action. Cole then curled his pinky finger around Connor’s and smiled happily.

“I promise.”

Satisfied, Cole hopped back onto the chair. It was a little too short so Hank had used cushions to raise the seat enough for Cole to be able to eat at the table. 

At that moment, the St. Bernard padded into the kitchen, sniffing about Cole’s ankles for any scraps of food he could salvage from the floor.

“Would you like me to feed your dog?” Connor inquired, turning to make eye contact with Hank.

“Yeah.” Hank took a sip from the mug of coffee and gestured to the other side of the room. “It’s that bag over there. Just give him two cups of the stuff.”

Connor busied himself by scanning the dog food and measuring the right amount.

Cole shovelled a final spoonful of cereal into his mouth before sliding off the chair and joining the android.

“Do you like dogs, Connor?”

Connor looked down at him and smiled.

“Yes. But your dog is my favourite.”

“Really?” Cole hugged the fury companion close to his chest, the large pet seemingly unfazed.

Connor nodded. “What’s his name?” The android asked, dumping a cup full of food into the dog bowl.

“Sumo!”

"That's a great name for such a big dog," Connor replied, gathering more kibble into the cup before depositing it in the bowl once again.

Cole beamed. “That’s what Dad said!” Cole turned to Hank who hadn’t moved from his place against the counter. “Wasn’t it, Dad?”

Hank hummed, nodding his head. “It sure was.”

Truth be told, the lieutenant was a little jealous of the way Connor had waltzed into their home with seemingly no experience and managed to get things running smoother in a day than Hank had in a few years. Still, his son was happy, so that's really what mattered most.

“Would you two be okay on your own if I take a minute to get ready for work?”

“Yes!” Cole called to his father.

Connor nodded his head. “Yes, Hank.”

Happy with their response, Hank dipped into his room to retrieve a set of clothes before making his way into the bathroom.

By the time he returned to the kitchen, Connor and Cole were nowhere to be found. He checked by the door, just in case Connor decided to walk Cole over to the bus stop early but Hank found the kid’s shoes laying haphazardly near the door.

There was muffled chatter coming from down the hall, so Hank summoned the remnants of his police training and tried to stealthily make his way to Cole’s bedroom.

The door was slightly open and Hank used the gap to peek inside. Connor was rigidly sat on Cole’s unmade bed as the kid pointed to numerous bottles of pills laid out on his bedside table. Hank figured that if Connor could analyse and get a reading on Cole’s health in a matter of seconds, he was likely able to google the names of a few medicine bottles. Still, the android listened to Cole attentively as the kid rambled about what each one was for. 

Hank smiled. At least the android was taking its job seriously.

The lieutenant raised his hand and rasped on the door lightly, cutting Cole short. The boy looked up and smiled upon seeing his dad.

“Alright, I’m off to work.”

“Okay, Dad.”

Hank stepped closer to press a brief kiss to his son’s forehead but resisted ruffling his hair. The school were kind of picky about their students’ appearances, for some bullshit reason or another.

“Make sure you get the right bus, this time.”

“Dad!” Cole whined. “It was an accident, I swear!”

“Sure.” The word was drawn out and laced with sarcasm.

“It was!”

Hank laughed to himself. The kid was way too easy to tease.

“Anyway, you’ve got Connor with you now. He can help you double check just to be extra sure.”

Connor nodded at Hank purposefully while Cole pouted. Hank took that as his cue to leave and saw himself to the front door.

The lieutenant took his place behind his cars steering wheel, noticing that, for the first time in 4 years, he wasn’t running late.

 

~*~

 

The station was pleasantly quiet in the mornings.

People leisurely strolled through the doors and took their places behind whichever desk they were assigned to. It was this time of the day where their kitchen area was busiest. Morning commuters usually waited until they were in work before brewing themselves a coffee to take back to their desks.

That Monday morning was quite a sight to behold. Nobody could believe that Lieutenant Hank Anderson had arrived at his job at 9:00 in the morning and genuinely seemed to be in something of a good mood.

It didn’t last long, however.

With restrained irritation, Hank sought out the one detective who had quickly become the bane of his existence.

“Reed.”

Hank stopped in front of Gavin Reed's desk. Papers were strewn about everywhere and countless files were already opened on Reed's monitor. The detective's desk was painfully untidy. Gavin always claimed that it was easier for him to work with but those who had the burden of being partnered with the guy all came to the unanimous decision that it was most certainly not.

At the sound of Hank’s voice, Detective Reed looked up, genuinely surprised to come face to face with Hank.

“Lieutenant Anderson! Great to see you out of the house by noon.” Reed managed a smile to accompany the faux cheerfulness of his words.

Hank grit his teeth and let the snide greeting slip.

“Are you busy?” The lieutenant tried again, desperately hoping to remain somewhat civil. He knew that Gavin was the type of guy who would definitely fight back if Hank threw a punch.

“Always.” 

Hank resisted growling in frustration. They both knew that they were in full view of the whole precinct – most notably, Captain Jeffrey Fowler. They were aware that starting a fight this early in the morning would be a really fucking stupid idea, but that didn’t mean passive aggressive comments were off the table.

“Look, I need you to ask your brother something.”

Gavin bristled. Hank knew this would be a touchy subject and while he would love to turn the tables, he had to remain at least borderline friendly.

“Not happening.” Detective Reed fired back, voice full of venom.

“Believe me, I wouldn’t be anywhere near you if this wasn’t important.”

Gavin and his stepbrother always had a strenuous relationship. While Hank assumed that Reed was happy with his detective work for the DPD, there was a nagging sense of inadequacy that clung to him like shackles around his wrists. His stepbrother happened to be Elijah Kamski, the founder and former CEO of the billion-dollar company, Cyberlife. To Hank, it seemed obvious who the favourite child was and the notion seemed to linger over Detective Reed like an ever-present storm cloud.

It was safe to say that the man was a minefield, dangerous and not worth the time spent navigating carefully. 

“Well, I’m trying to do my job, which is pretty damn important in itself.” Gavin swiped idly at a tablet resting in his lap, making no move to hide his irritation. “You should try it sometime.”

“I’m not fucking around here. I need either one of you to give me some answers.”

Gavin shrugged. “I can give you his business email.”

Hank rolled his eyes and sighed in frustration. “We both know that Kamski never checks that email address.”

“Well, then I’m sorry but I don’t know how I can help you.” Reed smiled smugly, revelling in the feeling of one-upmanship.

The lieutenant’s hands clenched into tight fists at his sides.

“Pick up your damn phone and call him.”

“But I believe you mentioned that Elijah Kamski doesn’t respond to the general public.” 

Hank was seriously weighing up whether or not it would be worth it if he did punch the detective’s face in after all.

“No, but he’d listen to you.”

“You’re missing the point – I don’t _want_ to talk to him.”

Hank breathed deeply, the disciplinary actions would not be worth it.

“I’ve got nothing else to go off, _Detective_.” Hank spat the word like it left a bad taste in his mouth. “My kid and I are dealing with a fucking android that, to the internet’s knowledge, doesn’t even exist.”

Reed hated androids as much as Hank, that was something they had in common, at least. In different ways, androids had ruined both of their lives and left them to pick up the pieces. Hank figured that if he were drunk enough he might actually like Gavin Reed but now he was painfully sober and having to deal with his bullshit first thing in the morning.

“What the fuck is your problem, anyway?”

Hank froze. 

The question still held the same amount of hostility as before but Hank brushed it off. He knew that somewhere he had appealed to the detective. Maybe it was the mention of his son. Though Gavin had no kids of his own, the man wasn’t emotionless, actually quite the contrary. He had the tendency to get way too involved in his work to the point where he stayed late into the night if he couldn’t make progress on a case. While Hank loathed to admit it, the detective was actually pretty good at his job, that was honestly the only reason why the precinct put up with him.

"There's this android. It says that it is an RK800 but that model doesn't exist."

“RK800?” Gavin muttered quietly, setting down his tablet. He picked up a pen and pulled his pad of sticky notes closer. The detective’s hand moved across the small square of yellow paper, forming what looked to be the three sides of an equilateral triangle.

“Yeah.”

Reed stared at a stack of papers, balancing precariously on the edge of his desk. His eyes were somewhat glazed over as he contemplated the information.

Something Hank had always found kind of weird was the way in which Detective Reed made notes. Instead of scribbling down a few keywords, Gavin would draw a small picture that would later trigger his memory of the conversation. Brightly coloured sticky notes were placed all over the desk, indecipherable to everyone but the detective himself.

“What else?” Gavin had moved on and was forming the beginnings of ‘RK800’ beneath the triangle.

“It also acts _strange_.”

“Strange?”

“It can, like, scan people.”

“As in faces and stuff?”

“No. More like internal organs and stress levels.”

Gavin’s left hand drummed against the desk as he chewed on his lip. 

The detective stopped suddenly and let his pen clatter to the desk. 

“Okay, fuck off and I’ll deal with it later." Gavin snapped though there was no real malice behind his words. Clearly, the detective was mulling over the information already, trying to make sense of the situation Hank found himself in.

Hank turned to leave but stopped short. 

“You’ll mention it to him, right?”

Gavin looked up and frowned, obviously somewhat pissed that Hank had derailed his train of thought.

“Yeah. Sure, whatever. If I don’t forget.”

Hank nodded, confident that Reed was taking him somewhat seriously and turned to leave.

The lieutenant made his way back to his own desk, settling down in his seat and entering the password to his computer.

 

~*~

 

By the time work was finally over Hank was ready to go home and collapse. The whole exchange with Detective Reed had set him on edge and left the lieutenant more than ready to give up for the day and spend some time with his son.

However, upon arriving home he was genuinely surprised to see Cole sprawled on the ground, his school bag slumped over beside him. An array of coloured pencils littered the floor alongside an open exercise book. Connor sat beside him, trying his best to explain 3rd-grade mathematics to Cole who seemed less than enthusiastic.

Hank found the whole scene oddly heart-warming. It was difficult to get Cole to do his homework on most days, God knows how Connor had managed to convince him.

Upon hearing Hank enter, Cole ditched his studies and raced Sumo to the door. Connor followed slowly behind them, seemingly unsure of what he was supposed to be doing.

The android opted for a simple greeting. “Welcome home, Hank.”

Hank nodded in acknowledgement before shifting his attention back to the child hanging off his arm.

Connor took this moment to retreat into the kitchen, giving Hank and his son some time to themselves. Sumo joined him, presumably in the hope of being granted a treat.

“Could you start on dinner, Connor?” Hank called from the living room.

Connor sprung to attention at the mention of his name.

“What do you want me to make?” The android asked cautiously, Hank wasn’t sure where the sudden restraint had come from.

“Whatever. There’s some stuff in the fridge.”

Connor nodded though he doubted Hank took any notice of it.

The android found stacks of ready meals and withdrew two of them. They appeared to be a spaghetti bolognese of sorts but upon removing the cardboard sleeve Connor grimaced, the food looked somewhat _unsavoury_ , to say the least.

Still, the android followed the printed instructions on how to reheat the food before placing it in the microwave. Connor watched the numbers on the microwave count down, not really convinced that it was food at all.

When the timer ran out, Connor removed the two meals and peeled back the film, glaring as pieces of spaghetti.

Hank moved into the kitchen, supposedly after hearing the microwave.

Connor’s staring didn’t go unnoticed by Hank who kept a watchful eye on the android.

Then suddenly, Connor dipped two fingers into the sauce before bringing them to his lips.

“Connor, what the hell are you doing? Get your fingers out of my kid’s food!”

The android licked at the sauce and paused before turning to Hank.

“This meal contains twice the recommended daily intake of both fat and salt for a child of Cole’s height and weight.”

Hank just stared at Connor as if he were completely insane.

“You shouldn’t let your son eat that.” Connor clarified.

“Alright then,” Hank pushed the food aside. “You make something.”

Connor blinked as his LED whirled.

“I…” Connor faltered and for a moment Hank thought the damn thing shut down. “I don’t know how.”

The lieutenant frowned.

"What do you mean, you ‘don't know how'? Aren't androids supposed to have hundreds of recipes memorised or something?"

“Maybe my primary function was not domestic service.”

Hank’s brow creased. For an android that supposedly did not belong in a home, Connor seemed to fit in pretty well. Most of the androids Hank had seen specialised in one thing, they were machines after all. But Connor didn’t fit the pattern, whatever Hank threw at him, he seemed capable of and used initiative. He also seemed empathic, which bothered the lieutenant. He knew that androids were designed to integrate with society but Hank doubted that technology was the driving force behind the way Connor smiled at Cole. It seemed too real – too genuine.

Perturbed by Hank’s silence, Connor moved to locate necessary kitchen utensils while searching for quick and easy recipes online. Hank hadn't asked for anything specific but Connor chose to play it safe and recreate the spaghetti bolognese. He withdrew a tin of chopped tomatoes from the pantry, making sure to check the label to ensure that the contents had not expired.

“What are you doing?”

Connor stilled upon hearing Hank’s voice.

“I’m,” Connor looked at Hank, then the tomatoes, then Hank again. “I’m cooking.”

Connor really didn't sound too sure but Hank opted to not press the matter, instead, shrugging off the whole awkward exchange and heading back into the living room.

Despite having absolutely no experience with food whatsoever, within 30 minutes, Connor had prepared two piping hot plates worth of spaghetti bolognese. The android frowned, while the food largely resembled the image in his head, there was no way of telling whether or not it actually tasted better than the food they had just thrown out. The most Connor could do was analyse the contents of the meal and judge if it was suitable for consumption.

Still, despite his initial hesitation, Connor called for Hank and Cole. 

The duo made their way from the living room into the kitchen and took their seats at the table, Cole clambering on top of the stacked cushions.

Connor refilled Sumo’s food and water bowl, before turning to Hank and his son.

“What can I get you to drink?”

“Orange juice, please!” Cole seemed ridiculously excited to see a plate of spaghetti. 

“Beer. There should be some on the top shelf.”

Connor smiled as he opened the fridge. Hank clearly placed the alcohol well out of Cole's reach, should the kid ever fancy trying one. The android doubted that Cole would try something like that and even if he did, Connor doubted that he'd be able to remove the bottle cap.

Connor set the drinks down on the table and stood to the side, hands clasped behind his back as he watched them.

Hank couldn’t help but wonder if the android felt nervous. He shouldn’t have a reason to, it was just a bowl of spaghetti but Connor’s eyes flickered about too fast while his whole body seemed rigid and tense. Hank decided not to bring it up and took a long swig from his beer.

Cole was already shovelling food into his mouth. Using both hands, he stuck his fork into the mound of pasta and twirled it around, gathering as much spaghetti and sauce as he could before guiding it into his mouth. 

Hank curiously raised his first forkful of food to his lips, genuinely surprised that it didn’t taste awful. From the way Connor was stood, the android appeared to genuinely doubt the quality of his own cooking and as much as Hank wanted to joke about Connor getting the whole recipe completely wrong, he held his tongue. The android looked as though he wouldn’t take the criticism well. Actually, Connor seemed to be so genuinely unsure of himself that it was kind of sad.

“It’s really good!” 

At Cole’s words, the tension unwound from Connor’s shoulders and the LED stopped flickering, settling on pale blue.

“I’m glad you like it.”

Cole then frowned when he realised that Connor didn’t have a plate of his own.

“Why don’t you have some?”

Connor opened his mouth but shut it quickly, seemingly unsure of how to describe his anatomy to such a small child.

"Androids don't eat," Hank said around a mouthful of spaghetti.

Cole didn’t seem satisfied and took hold of the sleeve of Connor’s white shirt, tugging him closer. 

“Even if you don’t eat, you can sit with us.” Cole was smiling encouragingly as Connor tentatively slid into the seat beside the child. The android watched Hank, clearly under the impression that he was doing something wrong. 

If Hank had any objections about Connor sitting at the table, he didn’t show it, more focused on clearing the last of the pasta from his plate.

Despite the family seeming okay with his actions, Connor was still doubtful. Hank hadn’t taken to him too kindly before so he was sure that having an android loitering at the dinner table wasn’t something the lieutenant was terribly fond of. 

However, the tension slowly melted away as Cole spoke about his history class and which teachers he gets along with and how the school lunches taste ‘worse that when Dad’s cooking’. 

Before long, the plates were stacked by the sink in a way that rivalled Gavin Reed’s unfinished paperwork and Cole was curled up on the couch, nestled beside Sumo.

Hank crouched down beside his son, smiling fondly and gently shaking him awake. “C’mon, kid, let’s get you ready for bed.”

Cole blinked his eyes open.

“But, Dad, I’m not tired.” The child rubbed at his eyes.

“I bet you will be when you’re in bed.”

Cole stubbornly shook his head but was betrayed by the loud yawn that followed.

Connor moved to see Cole to his room but Hank pushed him away. 

“I can do it.”

Connor obediently moved aside but stayed within arm’s reach, ready to move should he be needed.

The lieutenant bent down to scoop up his son, carrying him to his room. Hank kicked the door shut on Connor who stood in the hallway.

Hank knew he was being a dick but couldn't find the will to care. The android was too good at its job and while Hank would admit that the help is nice, it was also verging dangerously on overbearing. Hank was Cole's dad for fuck's sake, that wasn’t a place some machine could fill.

True to his word, Cole was drifting in and out of consciousness as soon as his head hit the pillow. On nights where Cole was still awake, he'd beg his dad for a story of some sort before falling asleep, but tonight the kid seemed way too tuckered out to bother.

Hank knelt down beside his son’s bed.

“Hey, kid…” He began before faltering, seemingly unsure of what exactly he was going to say.

“Yeah.” Cole’s voice was muffled by the duvet which was pulled up to his chin.

“What do you think of Connor?”

“He’s my friend.”

Hank sighed, of course.

Despite being kind and well-liked, Cole didn’t have many friends at school. More often than not the kid was sent home sick, his immune system was a liability after so many failed operations to correct his breathing. It was also way too risky for Cole to join in with sports, leaving him isolated both at school and at home when others his age would ride bikes or play in the park. 

It was only natural for Cole to befriend Connor so quickly, after all, there wasn't anybody else he could talk to, was there?

"Goodnight, son," Hank spoke quietly even though Cole had already drifted off to sleep.

Hank stood and made his way to the door, shutting it gently as to not wake the child.

The lieutenant was ready to make his way back to his own bedroom before stopping suddenly. He could hear the sound of running water coming from the kitchen. 

Connor had helped himself to soap and was scrubbing the plates and cutlery clean.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m cleaning up.” Connor shut off the water and turned to Hank. “I’m sorry. I thought it was obvious.” 

The lieutenant frowned. He wasn’t sure if Connor had meant to come across as snarky or not.

“Don’t bother with that shit now, you can do it tomorrow.”

“Yes, Hank.”

Hank turned to retreat to his bedroom.

“If you don’t mind…” The lieutenant turned upon hearing Connor’s voice. “Could you recommend a place for me to temporarily enter ‘standby mode’?”

Hank smirked, that was the most machine-like thing he’d heard Connor say since taking him home.

“You want to sleep?”

"It's not sleeping. While my main systems are down, I am able to monitor and install any software updates quicker. I also need to run regular diagnostics tests on individual biocomponents to ensure I function correctly."

“We have a spare room but it needs clearing out. I guess you could take the couch for now if you don’t mind sharing it with Sumo.”

"Comfort isn't an issue," Connor added hastily. "Androids don't feel pain, so small spaces where I would not become an obstruction are preferable."

Hank frowned, he wasn’t about to shove Connor in a closet. That’d be really fucked up, wouldn’t it? 

The lieutenant disappeared into the spare room, grabbing a blanket from one of the boxes littered around the floor and returned to where Connor was left standing in the living room.

"Take the couch," Hank muttered, chucking the blanket to the android who caught it easily, before looking at Hank for an explanation. He didn’t get one however and watched as the lieutenant left him to figure it out on his own.


	3. A Day in Detroit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really didn't expect this chapter to take so long to write but it's done now and I'm sick of looking at it so I'm just getting it out there. 
> 
> Thank you so so much to everyone who took the time to leave comments and kudos on this fic, I seriously appreciate all your support - its what keeps me wanting to update so often!!

“What the hell is that?”

Connor looked at the plate of food in his hand then back to Hank.

“It’s a bagel.” 

Hank knew that it was a fucking bagel, what he didn’t know is why Connor had spontaneously decided to make him breakfast.

Connor pressed the plate into Hank’s hands then turned away before the lieutenant could pass it back.

“Cole told me that you don’t normally eat breakfast. I presumed it was because you lack the time or effort to make yourself something, so I took the liberty of preparing it myself.” The android actually seemed to be somewhat proud as he poured freshly brewed coffee into a plain, white mug.

Hank stepped closer, noticing that the usual brown coffee stains had been entirely scrubbed from the inside. Clearly, Connor hadn’t actually left the washing up as Hank had told him to. Hank wanted to be happy that the android was so eager to please, but Connor’s blatant disregard for orders left the lieutenant on edge.

“I told Connor what you like!” Cole suddenly added from his seat at the table and Hank noticed his son for the first time since waking up.

“Oh really?” Hank smiled fondly. “What exactly did you tell him?”

“That you like bacon, and bagels and waffles.”

"I made a healthy alternative," Connor added.

Hank picked up the bagel curiously. It was difficult to tell what the android had filled it with so he decided to put the food to the test by taking a large bite out of it. Honestly, it didn’t taste half bad – not that Hank was going to give the android affirmation.

Connor took the mug by the handle and carried it over to Hank who exchanged his plate for the coffee. The android waited until Hank busied himself with taking long sips from his cup before speaking.

“Hank,” the lieutenant looked up. “There’s something I should tell you.”

Hank eyed Connor sceptically and Cole shuffled round to see what was going on.

“After running diagnostics tests last night, I feel obligated to let you know that not all of my systems are functioning correctly.”

“What do you mean?” Hank silently cursed Zlatko for selling him a faulty android.

“There appears to be certain features integrated into my software that I do not have full access to.”

“In English, please.”

“I have remnants of software that support facial recognition but I am unable to use it.” Connor looked to Hank tentatively as if he were afraid of the man’s reaction.

The lieutenant didn’t respond. Something Connor had said caused him to freeze up. 

“Hank.” Connor prompted carefully. “Is everything alright?” 

“Hmm?” The lieutenant looked up. “Oh, yeah. Don’t worry about it.”

Connor seemed relieved and offered a small smile. “Yes, Hank.”

Hank grunted in response and sipped at his coffee. There was something he had missed but the lieutenant couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

“Connor,” Cole looked to the android. “I’m stuck on this one.”

Cole held up his maths homework. Most of the problems were already filled in, leaving only the final two equations. Hank smiled, this must have been what Connor was talking the kid through yesterday and it seemed as though Cole was getting the hang of it. Around the sides of the sheet were small doodles Cole must have included between solving equations, his son was quite the artist and even if the teachers didn’t approve of Cole adding little pictures to his homework, Hank sure did.

As if a switch had been flipped, realisation suddenly came crashing down on the lieutenant.

Besides his son, there was only one person who thought in pictures – Gavin Reed. The insufferable prick had mentioned something about androids scanning faces, hadn’t he? Hank frowned, it seemed as if the detective was familiar with the type of android Connor was. So, if that’s the case why couldn’t he put two and two together?

“Here, let me help.” The android dropped into a chair beside Cole and took the pencil the child offered to him.

Hank set his mug down on the counter before moving to fix Sumo his own breakfast, he didn’t doubt that Connor would do it if asked but Cole took priority, so Hank let them be.

Connor had underlined different numbers and was slowly talking Cole through his working out, making sure the kid understood each step before moving on. Finally, Connor passed the pencil back to Cole for him to finish the last equation on the sheet. The android waited patiently as Cole took his time solving the problem. Cole’s gaze flickered up to Connor’s example, trying to recall what the android had done in order to get the right answer.

It had always been down to Hank to help Cole with his homework in the past. He’d be the first to admit that the whole process wasn’t easy. Cole wasn’t an avid listener and Hank wasn’t a fan of school, ultimately what should have been done in 15 minutes took over an hour.

“Is that it?” Cole asked with an air of uncertainty.

Connor looked over the page and smiled encouragingly. 

“That’s right.” He passed Cole his homework back. “See, you didn’t need me at all.”

“Thank you, Connor!" The kid smiled up at the android and Hank suppressed the rising bitterness.

Connor stood up from his seat, tucking it under the table and making his way to the fridge. On his way past Cole, the android’s hand moved to ruffle the child’s hair – a subconscious action likely garnered from Hank himself – but the android stopped short upon catching Hank scrutinizing his every move from over the rim of his coffee cup. Connor retracted his hand immediately and clasped them both behind his back as if to keep them from moving without his explicit permission. 

Despite the lieutenant’s glare, Connor continued en route to the fridge, opening it and removing a small box. 

“What’s that?” The lieutenant jabbed a finger at the package in Connor’s hand.

"Well, Cole mentioned at dinner yesterday that his school lunches weren't very nice, so I thought I'd make him one," Connor spoke quickly and curled his fingers around the boxed lunch. The android’s LED revealed his uncertainty. The small light couldn’t decide on a solid colour, spinning in a nervous blur of blue and yellow.

“You did _what_?” Hank could hardly believe what the android was telling him. Connor seemed to have found time to scan himself, clean the entire kitchen and make the kid lunch.

Connor stepped back upon hearing Hank’s tone of voice, his LED settling on a solid yellow. 

“Really?" Cole seemed overjoyed at the prospect of not having to deal with the unintelligible brown mush passed off as lasagne and leapt from his seat to wrap his arms around Connor in a tight – but brief – hug. 

Connor held his hands up, clearly taken aback by Cole’s enthusiasm and afraid of overstepping his boundaries. The android’s nervous eyes focused on Hank, desperately trying to convey some type of unspoken innocence while the lieutenant continued to seethe.

Cole pushed himself onto the balls of his feet so he could reach up and take the lunch from Connor’s hands. The android’s grip gave easily, still more concerned about Hank than anything else. The kid rifled through the box, excitedly chattering about its contents and completely oblivious to the silent standoff between Connor and Hank.

The lieutenant was the first to relent. He set his empty coffee cup down in the sink and pushed himself off the counter. The whole ordeal was fucking ridiculous. After all, the android had made his son a healthy lunch so he didn’t have to eat the bullshit school meals. That was hardly something Hank could fault him on. Besides, this was exactly the thing Hank had bought a damn android for, there was absolutely no reason to be jealous over a machine – none whatsoever.

On his way past the android, Hank clasped a hand on his shoulder. Connor visibly recoiled at the contact but forced himself to remain rigidly still. 

“Relax.” The lieutenant tried to sound somewhat reassuring but the word seemed like a command. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Connor gave a stiff nod of acknowledgement. “You didn’t scare me.” 

The lieutenant smirked in amusement. Hank hadn't missed the way the android's eyes watched him cautiously, clearly, there was something about him that left Connor uneasy.

“Sure.” Hank didn’t know if Connor understood the sarcasm or not.

Either way, it seemed to be enough to calm Connor down. The android’s LED shifted to blue and he offered a small smile. Satisfied, Hank made his way past them and into the bathroom.

Admittedly, Hank did feel kind of bad. The android was only trying got help and Hank really couldn’t fault him on doing his job. Besides, it was nice to finally see Cole getting along with someone, even if it made Hank somewhat envious. Connor was already the kid’s favourite and the notion wasn’t lost on the lieutenant. It _did_ hurt to see Cole grow attached to a machine that could never love him in the same way his father did but Cole seemed happy so Hank tried his best to shrug off the jealousy.

By the time Hank emerged from the bathroom, Connor and Cole were at the door. Connor was helping Cole into his jacket while the kid fought with his shoelaces. Hank stepped around them and reached for the door handle.

“Dad!”

Hank turned around at the sound of Cole's voice. The kid was stumbling over the loose shoelaces as he hurled himself at his father. Connor reached out for Cole, catching him before the child hit the ground. Cole recovered quickly and as soon as he had his balance back, threw himself at Hank. The lieutenant caught the kid easily and looked down in surprise.

"You haven't said goodbye," Cole muttered into the fabric of Hank's jacket. The kid's words were somewhat muffled and took Hank a moment to process.

“I’m sorry, son.” Guilt hit him hard, leaving Hank winded and unable to speak. “Have a good day, okay?”

Cole nodded his head dutifully. “Mm-hmm.”

Hank reached down to ruffle the kid’s hair before slipping out the door.

It wasn’t until the lieutenant was seated in his car that he released the breath he was holding in. Hank gripped the steering wheel and slouched forward in his seat, letting his head loll forward and rest on his knuckles. 

Hank sighed in defeat. He was neglecting his own son because of a fucking machine. Honestly, it was no wonder Cole preferred the android.

The drive to the station was slow. Hank made sure to take his time, letting heavy metal pour through his car's speaker in an attempt to drown out the invasive thoughts from bothering him again. Besides, he wasn’t in a hurry to get to work. Most of the people in his department were pricks anyway and Lieutenant Hank Anderson had absolutely no problem making them wait. He’d get there when he gets there and they can suck it up and deal with it.

Most people had already arrived by the time Hank reached his desk. They were either sorting through new assignments or chatting amongst each other. Clearly disinterested, Hank threw himself down in the plush black swivel chair and set about logging on to his computer. He pulled open the most recent files on his current case.

There were pieces of evidence to support an underground red ice market and Hank was left with the gruelling task of tracking it down and putting a stop to it. Not that he really minded, after all, red ice was his speciality. After the Red Ice Task Force was established in 2027, Hank had made a name for himself leading the investigation which resulted in the biggest drugs bust to date. It was common knowledge that Hank had fallen from grace since then and while the task force had disbanded, Hank was still primarily placed on cases involving red ice due to his extensive knowledge on the matter.

Hank was certain that the DPD gave him more credit than he deserved. The only reason he'd succeeded in that cold February of 2028 was because he'd been driven by the only thing that mattered to him anymore. Cole was shut away in hospital, walking the dangerous balancing act that was his recovery. There was plenty of instances where he’d believed his son to have slipped and fallen and lost the battle but Cole pulled through. Though the kid was still suffering the effects of that damn car crash to this day, he was alive and that fact alone was enough. 

At the time, Hank had wanted revenge. He wanted to single-handedly take down the fuckers who were selling red ice and the idiots who were too busy using to perform surgery on his son. The lieutenant hadn’t found out that Cole’s condition was stable until after the major suppliers had been arrested. Hank remembers crying that night. He hadn’t let himself entertain the thought that one day Cole would get better enough to take home, or go to school, or to play with Sumo again – it all seemed like too much for him to handle at once.

Now though, Hank really couldn't find the same drive to work. After sorting through similar cases for years, the lieutenant had to force himself to focus. He couldn’t risk jeopardizing his job because it was boring, he was lucky to actually have a job considering how androids had taken over. Hank considered the idea of an android cop. One that was able to tell exactly what happened at a crime scene just from analysing the evidence. The lieutenant smirked to himself. That kind of thing was a long way off, he had some time before he inevitably wound up unemployed and begging for change in order to pay for Cole’s medicine. 

“Hank.”

Hank pushed his chair around and came face-to-face with Captain Jeffrey Fowler. The lieutenant frowned in confusion. A confrontation with Fowler wasn't exactly something Hank was expecting today, especially since he hadn't any idea what he'd done this time to warrant another disciplinary action.

“I don’t know what you’re here for but it was probably Gavin’s fault.”

Captain Fowler rubbed his forehead, clearly as enthusiastic about the exchange as Hank was.

“I’m not here for that – whatever it is you’ve done this time.” Fowler dropped a heavy manila folder onto Hank’s desk. “You’re off the red ice case. Instead, I want you to take over Detective Reed’s work for now.”

“What? Why?” Hank sat up in his seat. “Can’t that bastard manage his own work?”

Fowler sighed impatiently and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Detective Reed has been assigned a new case. It’s not my decision, so don’t come to me about it.”

Hank furrowed his brow and curiously reached into the folder, withdrawing an untidy stack of papers. Most were marked with brightly coloured sticky notes, complete with little drawings. Yeah, there was no way Hank was making sense of any of these.

“Wait. If you want me to take over Gavin’s work that means I’m working the android cases.”

Hank figured it was Gavin’s ties to Kamski that made him almost exclusive to android work, though the lieutenant seriously doubted that Gavin ever really asked his brother for help. After all, Gavin was notoriously stubborn and stooping so low as to ask Elijah Kamski for assistance would irreversibly damage the detective’s ego.

“Yes, it does.” Fowler steeled himself as if waiting for Hank’s inevitable outburst.

“What the fuck, Jeffrey? You know I don’t want anything to do with goddamn androids!”

Fowler sighed in annoyance but decided not to acknowledge Hank’s remark. “There’s a couple of deviants that have been sighted on the outskirts of Detroit.”

“And what do you want me to do? Hunt them down?” 

“Essentially.”

Hank threw his head back and groaned in frustration. 

“Oh, there’s one more thing.”

“Of course, there is…” Hank muttered mostly to himself.

“We had Gavin scheduled to go over to the Cyberlife Tower and speak to one of the manufacturers there but since he’s working on another case, the task falls to you. We’re trying to see if deviancy is down to an error when the androids are first constructed or if it is developed later on.”

Hank rolled his eyes. “Can’t you just wait for Gavin to do it? I honestly don’t know the first thing about androids.”

“Sorry, Hank but these people are on a pretty tight schedule, we’re lucky they even agreed to sit down with us. We can’t afford to lose this chance.”

“Okay, fine. Just – just tell me what I’m dealing with here.”

“We have reason to believe that the group is comprised of an AX400, YK500 and a TR400 but that is just speculation. We have old reports of an AX400 going missing with a YK500, I'll send them over when I get a chance."

"Great. I'll look forward to it." If the sarcasm bothered Fowler he didn't show it. Instead, turning on his heel and walking back to his office, leaving an irritated Hank behind him.

 

~*~

 

Hank never gave Connor anything specific to do while he was away. This gave the android ample time to prioritize which chores were most urgent and work his way through them slowly. After all, at his current rate, Connor figured that he’d finish the whole house within a couple of days. 

Connor had decided on cleaning up the kitchen first. The android had a feeling that Hank wouldn’t particularly enjoy having to wait too long for his dinner once he arrived home, so Connor had loaded up and started the dishwasher as soon as he’d returned from walking Cole to the bus stop. 

Connor worked quietly, wiping down the kitchen table and counter with an old radio playing in the background. The android had convinced himself that he was merely inspecting the device and that he was letting it play out of pure curiosity. He had tried switching it off but found the house far too quiet without Hank or Cole about, not that Connor was ready to admit it - machines didn’t get lonely. Cole had mentioned that it was nice to switch the radio on at weekends. The child had explained that both himself and Hank liked to sleep in and wait until the sun was high in the sky before enjoying a late breakfast with the radio singing to them as they ate.

The tell-tale sound of claws caused Connor to look up from the task at hand. Sumo had made his way into the kitchen and was sniffing about the table, seemingly on the hunt for any leftovers Cole might have dropped for him. The dog seemed to huff upon finding the floor spotless – courtesy of Connor.

Sumo then turned his attention to the android, nuzzling his hand affectionately. Connor allowed himself a small smile. He hadn’t really gotten the chance to interact with Sumo much. He figured that his new owners might not approve of an android who his time playing with their dog over making himself useful. But with the way Sumo stared up at the android, Connor couldn’t help himself from indulging. The android ran his fingers over the dog’s coat, scratching Sumo behind his large ears.

Connor straightened up and averted his gaze back to the table top, genuinely surprised when Sumo whined in protest. The android smiled and set down his cloth. Connor made his way over to the pantry and retrieved a box of large bone-shaped dog biscuits, he then took one and placed the rest back. Sumo watched the android intently, his mouth drooling. Connor offered the biscuit to the dog who took it gratefully then padded away to devour the snack.

The moment was ruined by a loud ringing sound. Connor was taken aback for a moment before looking around and spotting the Andersons’ landline. Instead of taking up the phone, Connor chose to interface with the phone line, his LED flickering on yellow as he focused.

While Connor waited for confirmation of a stable connection he set about getting back to his chores, hearing a resonant ringing in his ears as he did so.

“Hello. Is this Hank Anderson?”

A woman spoke into Connor’s ears. Her voice was gentle and honey-coated and it put Connor at ease.

“I am Hank Anderson’s android. Mr Anderson is currently at work. May I take a message?”

There was a momentary silence on the other end of the line before the lady spoke again.

“I tried his work phone and mobile but didn’t get a reply. I figured that he would probably be at home…” 

“I’m afraid he left for work about 3 hours ago and hasn’t been home since.”

"Oh," the lady's voice seemed to falter. "Well, can you please tell him that Mrs Thompson from his son's elementary school called and that he should probably come and pick up Cole as soon as he gets a moment."

Connor stopped sweeping the cloth over the table, noticing that his thirium pump was working faster, leaving the android in a state of hyper-awareness.

“What’s wrong with Cole?”

Connor suddenly couldn’t hear the quiet singing of the radio, too focused on the next words the woman would speak.

“He’s fine, don’t worry.” There was a long pause before the woman spoke again. “There was just a little incident – nothing severe – the school nurse has looked him over but it might be best to make sure he doesn’t overdo it for the time being.”

Connor’s body went rigidly still as he processed the message, the sweetness behind the lady’s words did little to stop the rising panic the android was feeling.

"I'll- I'll be over there to pick him up," Connor spoke without realising, too worked up to make rational decisions.

“You will?” 

“Yes.” There was no hesitation in the android’s voice.

“Great! Just head over as soon as you can.”

Connor waited for her to end the call before moving. He knew that he shouldn’t just leave. He didn’t have permission from Hank to go anywhere and if the lieutenant returned home to find his android missing, there would likely be _unfavourable_ consequences when he did eventually turn up. Abandoning the house wasn’t an option, not without asking Hank for permission first. 

After searching both the house and the internet, Connor found no records of Hank's mobile number. Desperate, he tried the DPD only for the receptionist to explain that he was away from his desk and to try again later.

With nowhere left to turn, Connor acted impulsively, sending out a request for the nearest autonomous taxi. The android sat down on the couch nervously as he waited for the taxi to arrive. Sensing his unease, Sumo ambled forward and rested his head on Connor’s lap, whining to get Connor’s attention. The android let his hand slowly glide over the dog’s fur rhythmically, trying to focus on something other than what he was about to do.

When Connor received confirmation that a car was waiting for him outside, he stood up, straightened his shirt and strode to the door. The android’s LED blinked a cautionary red for a second as Connor’s fingers clutched the door handle, then reverted back to yellow as he stepped outside.

Surprisingly, once Connor was seated in the taxi, he started to relax somewhat. He even managed to coax his LED back onto a stable baby blue, hiding any evidence of his inner turmoil from curious onlookers.

The ride to Cole’s elementary school was quick and uneventful, leaving Connor relieved by the time he’d arrived and located the reception desk.

A young woman was sat behind the desk, typing at a comically large computer. She looked up as Connor approached.

“Hello. I am Hank Anderson’s android, I’ve come to pick up Cole.”

“He’s right this way.” Connor recognised her instantly as the lady he spoke to on the phone.

The lady stood from her desk and stepped around Connor. The android saw a guest book laying open with a pen placed conveniently beside it. Connor made to take the pen but upon noticing human names scrawled messily on the lines, withdrew his hand and followed the secretary.

Connor was lead to a small closed-off room, easily identifiable as a nurse’s office. Cole was seated in one of the chairs, his cheeks flushed and legs swinging back and forth. Connor could hear slight wheezing as Cole took deep, gasping breaths.

The child looked up. His brown eyes were red and puffy, glistening with unshed tears. Connor couldn’t stop his LED from flashing yellow at the sight.

“Connor?” Cole scrubbed at his eyes and tried to stand on shaky legs.

Connor was at a loss for what to say. A simple greeting would seem too insincere and he had no experience with comforting anyone, let alone a child. So, the android settled for offering Cole his hand. The child lurched forward and grasped it tightly. Connor took this time to check Cole’s vitals, unhappy to find the kid’s heart beating irregularly fast and lungs straining to take in breaths of fresh air.

“Don’t worry. I’ve looked him over and he seems to be okay.”

Connor nodded stiffly but didn’t take his eyes off Cole, as if afraid the child would disappear should he glance away for a moment. 

Sensing Cole’s discomfort, Connor started back down the way he came, stopping only to utter a brief ‘thank you’ and ‘goodbye’ to the school secretary on their way out.

Cole kept a tight grip on Connor’s hand – even when sat in the taxi. Connor noticed that Cole hadn’t said a word since they left the school and the android couldn’t help but feel nervous. The Cole he was familiar with was always bright and filled with boundless energy, the child sat next to him was almost a different person.

“Do you want to tell me what happened?” Connor asked quietly.

Connor could feel the kid shrug next to him. Cole was slouched against the android, with his head resting against Connor’s arm.

“It happens a lot.” Cole’s voice was strained and raspy. Connor wished he’d thought to bring a drink of some kind. “It gets really tight here,” Cole pressed his free hand against his chest. “I can’t breathe.”

“How are you feeling now?”

Cole sat quietly for a moment and Connor wondered if he would get a response.

“Better.”

“Does it still feel tight?”

“Not as much as before.” Cole tried to sit up a little straighter. “I’m okay.” His hand still stayed curled tightly around Connor’s.

The android wasn’t convinced.

“Can you tell me when it started to hurt?”

Cole shrugged again and sniffled. “I was just playing.”

“Were you overexerting yourself?” Cole just stared up at the android vacantly. “I mean, were you playing some kind of sport?”

“We were just running around a little bit, I promise!” Cole’s voice turned desperate as if he were trying to prove something.

The child then looked down at his shoes. Connor felt the grip on his hand tighten ever so slightly. “Please,” the words died in Cole’s throat. “Please don’t tell Dad.”

Despite Connor’s impeccable hearing, the android almost missed Cole’s quiet plea.

“Why? Hank should really be informed of any changes in your health – critical or otherwise.”

Cole shook his head adamantly. “No! You can’t! Dad gets really scared about that stuff.”

“Cole, your father asked me to let him know if anything happens to you.”

"They'll keep me inside at recess!" The child's tone was dramatic and gave Connor the illusion that the world was ending.

“Perhaps it would be better-“

“I can’t do that!” 

Connor felt as if he were missing something. Fortunately, Cole was happy to elaborate. “All my friends are _outside_!” The child’s enthusiasm faded away. “I’ll be on my own.”

"You're afraid of feeling lonely," Connor added in clarification.

Cole didn’t acknowledge the statement but rubbed at his eyes again

"I'm not allowed to join in when we play sports. If Dad finds out about this he won't let me on the playground. Please, Connor, don't say anything!"

The android found himself stuck between a rock and a hard place. He could not pledge loyalty to Cole without betraying Hank and vice versa. Connor was at a loss for how to proceed and responded by squeezing Cole’s hand.

Connor hoped it helped to reassure the child. A silent but fragile promise that the android was on his side. It lacked the devotion and unwavering certainty of Cole’s pinky promise but Connor hoped it would do for now.

 

~*~

 

“Did you see the Gears play last night?”

“That was yesterday?” Hank growled in frustration. “Fuck!”

Chris turned away from the lieutenant, smirking and poured a generous amount of milk into his coffee.

“Don’t worry, I think they’ll rerun it sometime later this week.”

“Really? I-“

“Hey! Anderson!”

Hank and Chris turned to the sudden intrusion. Gavin Reed strode towards them, his features twisted into a scowl and fists clenched at his sides.

Chris frowned and stepped back, not wanting to invoke Gavin's wrath. Hank, however, wasn't so clever and stood his ground.

“Why the fuck aren’t you at your desk?” 

Gavin stopped in front of Hank with his arms crossed, glaring up at the lieutenant. 

“Well for starters, I’ve had to go hunt down digital copies of your case files because I’m stuck covering your ass.”

“You think that was my decision?” Gavin reeled back as if Hank had swung at him. “Fuck no! That shit’s on you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your damn android!” Gavin closed his eyes and frowned deeply as he tried to jog his memory. “The RK800. Where is it now?” Gavin seemed to have a knack for theatrics, Hank decided and rolled his eyes. Connor was at home. Where else would he be?

“Why do you need to know?”

Gavin laughed humourlessly and fixed the lieutenant with an icy glare.

“I spoke to Elijah about it.” Gavin snarled. “Remember asking me to do that? Or are you just too hungover to remember?”

Hank grew uncharacteristically quiet. Chris took this moment to set his mug down and ease himself between the two men. He knew better than to mistake Hank’s silence for defeat, quite the opposite actually, Gavin had crossed a line and they all knew it.

Hank’s alcoholism was the worst kept secret in the whole precinct. Hank took to drink shortly after the car crash that very nearly stole his son from him. The lieutenant's wife had just called for a divorce and his son was dying in the hospital. With his life falling apart at the seams, it was really no wonder Hank turned to drink. 

When the doctors had decided that Cole would live, Hank immediately set about eradicating his dependency on the stuff but it was an uphill battle that the lieutenant was still fighting to this day.

“What did he say?” Hank’s response was surprisingly calm though not without its usual bite.

“He didn’t seem to give a shit until I mentioned that it was an RK800. He lost it after that and went on and on about how it’s not something the public should know about.”

“But I bet _you_ know something, don’t you?”

Gavin looked away, seemingly conflicted. 

“Not much.” The detective seemed uncomfortable, rocking onto the balls of his feet slightly as if he were resisting the urge to bolt. “Just that I was suddenly pulled off all my cases as soon as I mentioned that goddamn android.”

“So, you think Connor might have something to do with you getting reassigned?”

Gavin barked a laugh. “Is that seriously what you named it? ‘Connor’?”

Hank narrowed his eyes in disdain but otherwise didn’t respond. “What the fuck did he do that has you guys so worked up anyway?”

Gavin shrugged. “Hell if I know.”

Hank rolled his eyes, clearly beyond pissed. The lieutenant seriously wondered if Gavin was trying to be a dick or if it just came naturally.

The detective slipped past Hank and Chris, grabbing a disposable cup and filling it with lukewarm coffee.

“I almost forgot.” The detective took a sip from his cup and Hank curled his lip in disgust. There were few things in this world more disgusting than cold coffee. “Where’s the android now?”

“Why do you care? I thought Cyberlife got rid of him or something?”

Gavin shook his head. “If that were the case I wouldn’t be stuck here talking to you.”

“So, what? Did he just get up and walk out?”

“Pretty much.”

Hank looked as if he’d be thrown for a loop while Detective Reed leaned against the counter, coffee cup in hand.

“We have theories but nobody knows for sure how the RK800 went missing. It was either stolen by somebody on the inside or it just escaped.”

Hank scoffed. “Androids don’t just escape. They’re machines for fuck’s sake!”

Gavin shrugged nonchalantly and finished his drink. “Unless it’s a deviant.”

The lieutenant mulled over the word. He remembered a couple of years ago there had been a huge public outcry about a group of rogue deviants who were protesting for android equality. If memory served, Hank thought they’d gotten quite a lot of media attention. Actually, Hank couldn’t remember how the whole thing ended. He was dealing with _personal issues_ at the time but something this big surely wouldn’t have failed to catch his attention. It was as if the deviants were there one day then gone the next.

“So,” Hank rubbed his forehead. “Let me get this straight. Cyberlife is falling apart because one of their androids went missing?”

Gavin chucked his empty cup into the bin at the far end of the room, it bounced off the wall but fell in regardless.

“No. If it were a regular android, Elijah wouldn’t care so much.”

“Well,” Hank prompted. “What’s so special about him?”

“Who the fuck do I look like to you? I’m not the founder of Cyberlife. I’ve got no clue what weird shit is programmed into those bastards.”

“But you’ve got to know something!” Hank snapped impatiently. “You’re the guy’s brother. He told you that Connor could scan faces, didn’t he?”

Gavin pushed himself off the counter and rooted his feet firmly into the ground. Truth be told, Gavin looked no more hostile than usual but there was something else there that Hank couldn’t place.

“Elijah only mentioned an advanced prototype a couple of times. I never really understood it or took enough interest to find out. Believe it or not, I don’t actually care about his fucking androids. Elijah’s the one that makes androids. I just clean up the mess when they go wrong.” Gavin slammed a fist down on the counter. “Stop. Just-“

_Stop comparing us._

The words were left unsaid but Hank didn’t need any help filling in the blanks. He was sure the detective’s self-esteem was a major factor in the two brothers’ fractured relationship but Hank couldn’t see it changing any time soon. Gavin wasn’t the type to talk about his insecurities especially to Elijah Kamski and Kamski seemed too busy to bother with the detective. No matter how much the lieutenant disliked Gavin, he had to admit that it was sad to watch him suffer from the sidelines. Hank had his son; Gavin had no one.

“You know what? It doesn’t matter. Just tell me where the android is so that I can fuck off.”

"I got rid of it," Hank spoke quickly but hoped the lie wasn't obvious.

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

“No.” Hank tried to glare at the detective. “It freaked my son out so I dumped it at the side of the road. When I got up the next day, it was gone.”

Gavin swore loudly. Chris took this as his cue to leave, opting to slip out while Gavin was distracted. The officer nodded to Hank on his way past.

“Do you have any idea where it went? Did it say anything to you?”

Hank shook his head but teased him with a smirk. “It looks like you’re just going to have to search all of Detroit.”

“That’s just _great_ ," Gavin growled sarcastically before freezing and staring off to the side. “Actually, I might have to issue a warning.”

“Why? It’s just an android.”

“I was told to be careful if I find anything to do with the RK800.” Gavin tapped the holster at his hip. “They wanted me armed at all times.”

“But Connor’s not dangerous.” Hank sounded incredulous as if the very notion was absurd.

Gavin laughed. “ _Sure_. They wanted me to carry this around as a fashion statement.” Gavin gestured to his handgun, smirking at his own joke.

Hank felt frozen in place. Connor wouldn’t hurt anyone, right? 

The lieutenant barley registered Gavin’s curt goodbye as the detective brushed past him, leaving Hank alone in the breakroom.

As much as Hank didn’t want to admit it, Connor was now something of a threat. The android was labelled ‘unstable’ by Cyberlife and clearly dangerous enough to warrant Gavin-fucking-Reed hunting him down. 

Hank’s mind was made up. Connor couldn’t stay. He couldn’t have a potentially violent android under the same roof as his son. Hell, Hank couldn’t even trust Connor to walk the kid to the bus stop. If Connor was as bad as Gavin implied, God knows what the android was capable of if backed into a corner.

The lieutenant knew that Cole would be traumatized if he came home to find his new android friend’s blue blood painting the walls, so Hank decided to act quickly. He made straight for the exit. It was best to get rid of the damn thing now, before Cole gets home from school, leaving the lieutenant plenty of time to dispose of the machine and come up with a bullshit excuse for why Connor won’t be living with them anymore.

 

~*~

 

As soon as Cole was through the door, the kid had kicked his shoes off and was wiggling out of his coat.

Connor moved to help him battle with the zip while connecting to the Andersons’ WIFI and searching for ways to treat a child with breathing difficulty.

Despite Cole insisting that the tightness in his chest was gone, Connor wanted to make sure. After he’d helped the child out of his coat and shoes, the android took Cole’s hand, leading him down the hallway and into the bathroom.

Connor flipped the toilet lid down and helped Cole sit down on it.

“Connor?” The kid’s voice was still raspy and caused Connor to frown. “What are you doing?”

“Don’t worry, I’m going to help alleviate the pain.”

“But-“ Cole broke off into a loud coughing fit. He cupped his hands over his mouth to muffle the noise as his body shook violently.

Connor acted fast, turning on the shower and letting boiling hot water flow from the showerhead. Then, the android made for the kitchen, grabbing an empty glass and filling it with water. Connor added a splash of orange juice – Cole’s favourite – in the hope that it would encourage the child to drink.

Glass in hand, Connor ran back down the hallway and stopped abruptly outside of the bathroom. Connor glanced over to Cole’s bedroom, before making his way over as slowly as he would allow himself. The android pushed the door open and looked inside, spying Cole’s bedside table. The android scanned the bottles of pills until he found what he was looking for.

By the time Connor returned to the bathroom, the whole room was filled with steam from the running shower. The mirrors were milky and hazy with condensation, while humidity swam around them. 

Connor passed the glass to Cole who took small sips.

“Have you already taken one of these?” 

Connor knelt down beside Cole and shook the bottle of pills, the kid leaned closer and studied the contents of the bottle.

“Yeah, I think so.”

Connor frowned. If Cole had already taken his medication, the android didn't want to give him more, that would just exacerbate the problem. Connor set the pills down beside him and held up a bottle of saline solution instead.

“How about we try some of these then?”

Cole wrinkled his nose in disgust. “They feel weird.”

Connor smiled in sympathy. “I know but they’ll help. I promise.”

Cole seemed won over by Connor’s words and reluctantly took the bottle from him.

“Do you need my help?” Connor asked and Cole nodded his head.

The kid shuffled to the edge of the toilet and let Connor guide his head backwards. The android saw the way Cole’s eyes screwed shut in anticipation and how his hands curled tightly over the edge of the seat. Connor tried to ignore the feeling of guilt and convinced himself that it would help stabilize Cole’s condition.

Connor moved efficiently, squeezing two drops into one nostril before moving to the other, giving Cole no time to register the feeling before the whole ordeal was over.

Cole sniffed a little in discomfort but otherwise didn’t complain. 

With the humidity in the room combined with the nasal drops, Cole’s breathing had returned to normal. 

“Here.” Connor took the half-empty glass and passed it back to Cole. “Can you try drinking some more of this?”

Cole slumped forward, his eyelids drooped dangerously. “I’m not thirsty.” The child’s words came out slurred slightly as exhaustion took over his body.

The android helped him sit up. “I know. You’ve done really well, I just need you to try for me. Do you think you can do that?”

Cole nodded, seemingly too tired to argue and gripped the glass in both hands, bringing it up to his lips. Connor sat beside him, watching carefully should Cole’s grip give out and drop the glass.

Cole managed to finish the drink, passing the empty cup back to Connor. The android smiled and moved to turn off the shower.

Turning back to Cole, Connor offered his hand, Cole clung to it and allowed himself to be pulled up by the android.

“Come on, let’s get you to bed.”

Cole whined in response and tugged on Connor’s hand in protest.

“I don’t want to go bed! It’s still daytime!”

“It’d really help if you laid down for a bit. You need to rest.”

Cole shook his head. “I’m fine!”

Connor seemed conflicted but relented.

“Okay but don’t do any running around.”

Cole let go of Connor’s hand and made for the living room. “I won’t!”

Connor followed him, wanting to make sure that Cole was stable. Though the android’s readings kept coming back positive Connor couldn’t shake the overprotective feeling that swarmed around him.

“Connor!” Cole called. “Let’s watch a movie!”

Connor joined the child on the couch. Cole sprung for a box of neatly stacked DVDs beside the TV, rifling through them. Connor chimed in, reminding Cole to take it slow for a while but the kid brushed his concern off.

"What's your favourite movie, Connor?"

The android frowned. “I’ve never watched a movie before.”

Cole looked up at him in disbelief. “Really? Never?”

Connor nodded. “Never.”

“That’s awful! Dad and I watch movies all the time! He buys a big bottle of soda and fills a bowl full of popcorn. Popcorn’s the best! Have you tried popcorn, Connor?”

Connor shook his head ‘no’.

“It’s amazing!”

Eventually, Cole decided on what to watch, sliding the disk into the DVD player. Connor resisted commenting on how archaic the system seemed in this day and age.

Cole quickly clambered back up onto the couch beside Connor. The android noticed the blanket Hank had given to him the previous night. Connor had placed it between his body and the couch, figuring that Hank likely didn’t want Connor getting his sofa dirty. Now though it was folded neatly and tucked against the wall. Connor reached over and took the blanket, draping it over Cole who insisted they share it. 

Once they were 10 minutes in, Sumo joined them on the couch. There was no room for anyone else, certainly not a dog of Sumo’s size but Cole didn’t have a problem with the tight squeeze.

With the trio happily huddled together on the couch, Cole seemed to drift off to sleep. Connor noticed his heart rate drop and even out as Cole snored lightly. The android reached for the remote control and turned the volume down slightly so that Cole could rest undisturbed. 

Sumo was curled up to Connor’s left, while Cole slept peacefully on his right. Connor smiled happily and figured that he wouldn’t be moving until the kid woke up anyway so let his eyes close. Falling into a similar sleep-like state as the late afternoon sun shone in through the window.

 

~*~

 

Hank hadn’t bothered signing out when he left the station. Nobody would be looking for him, anyway. 

The lieutenant dug his hand into the glove compartment and rifled through his belongings until he found what he was looking for.

He chucked the loaded handgun onto the passenger seat and pulled out of his parking space, not bothering with the seatbelt.

Shooting Connor seemed a bit too impersonal, especially considering how seamlessly he’d slid into their little family but Hank didn’t want to risk anything. He figured that if Connor really was dangerous, it would be better not to let him get too close, especially while Hank was holding a gun to his head. 

The desolate roads gave Hank the opportunity to floor it and get home in under half an hour but the lieutenant hung back, driving under the speed limit; almost reluctant to reach his destination.

Hank had no problem shooting people while on the job, not to say that he was trigger-happy but he usually dealt with some pretty awful people on a day-to-day basis. Connor, though, was an exception. The android had never done anything even remotely criminal. Well, not since living with Hank, at least. 

Hank let out a sigh of resignation when his house came into view. The lieutenant guided his car up the driveway before coming to a complete stop. Hank then reached for his gun and left the car, he didn’t give himself a minute to catch his breath or think about what he was about to do. The lieutenant tried to disassociate himself with the feelings of guilt that invaded his thoughts. He already felt awful having to put the android down, after all, Cole had lost his Mom and now Hank was taking his only friend from him too. Fuck, the kid was not going to take this well when he gets home…

Hank wasted no time, throwing open the door and holding his gun out in front of him. Discretion wouldn’t work with Connor; the android had a much vaster range of hearing than a human. No matter how quiet the lieutenant tried to be, Connor would definitely hear him. 

At first, Hank couldn’t tell where the android was, wondering idly if Connor was tending to the garden while the weather was still nice. There was a sudden movement from the couch and Hank turned to it, Connor was up immediately. Hank noticed the way the android’s LED flashed a bright red as he registered the sound of the lieutenant cocking his gun.

“Hank?” 

Connor held his hands up in surrender, watching Hank carefully as he turned to face the man.

“Don’t fucking move.” Hank’s voice was a low guttural growl, leaving no room for opposition.

Connor stood still, LED stuck on yellow as he waited for the lieutenant to continue. Hank knew this should be it. He should just pull the trigger and walk away, maybe wash the culpability down with a glass of whiskey afterwards but there was something about Connor that made him hesitate. The android should be fighting back, he should be running away or barging with the man threatening to kill him but he just _wasn’t_ and it made firing the bullet all the more difficult.

“Connor, what’s wrong?” 

Hank stilled upon hearing his son’s sleep-ridden voice. Cole sat up slowly, rubbing at his eyes and yawning loudly. The child was still half-asleep and completely oblivious to the current atmosphere of the room.

“Nothing. Everything’s fine.” Connor spoke first without taking his eyes off Hank.

The android slowly reached behind himself with one hand and gripped Cole’s arm gently. He tugged the child behind him, acting as a shield of some sort. Hank glared, honestly offended that Connor thought he’d ever hurt his own son. 

“What’s _he_ doing here?”

Hank kept his gun trained on Connor. He’d been in hostage situations before, never leading them though, Hank knew he was never good enough at negotiating under delicate circumstances.

“Dad?”

Cole tied to peer around Connor’s torso but the android held him in place.

“I’m here, kid. Don’t worry.”

Hank tried to sound reassuring but the words came out as something of a threat directed towards Connor. Cole pressed the heel of his palm against his eye trying to wipe the remnants of sleep away.

"What the fuck are you?" Hank hated swearing in front of his son but was already too deep into his bad-cop persona. He wasn't the type of guy who'd sweet talk offenders into complying, instead, Hank took to shouting and demanding – it'd always worked in the past but Connor was proving to deviate from typical criminal stereotypes more and more the longer Hank spent with him. 

“I’m an RK800 android.”

“Cut the bullshit. I want to know exactly what you’ve done to wind up wanted by the DPD.”

Connor frowned. “I was unaware that-“

"Don't," Hank warned. “Don’t act like you’ve got no idea what I’m talking about. You’re gonna start giving me some answers or I’ll have to put a bullet through your head.”

If Connor feared dying, he didn’t show it. His LED rested comfortably on a warm yellow while his face remained stoic. 

Cole, however, after finally waking up and assessing the situation, had plenty to say on the matter. The child sprang to life, wailing and pleading with his Dad to stop.

Hank tried his best to ignore Cole in favour of monitoring Connor but it sure as hell wasn’t easy. There was something about his son’s distress that clawed at him and demanded his attention. Fatherly instinct told him to ignore the machine and head straight for Cole but reason held him back. Hank couldn’t chance any sudden movements.

“Why isn’t Cole at school?” The lieutenant figured that he’d start with a question Connor had to know the answer to.

The android opened his mouth to respond then shut it hastily, LED flashing red for just a second. It was obvious that Connor knew the answer but was choosing not to respond, even as Hank held a loaded gun to his head. That wasn’t normal. Machines didn’t choose not to obey. Gavin was right, Hank thought to himself, the android is definitely a deviant.

Hank sighed to himself and squeezed his hand around the gun, drawing his finger back on the trigger only stopping at Cole’s shrill cry of, “wait!”

The kid had wild, uncontrollable tears streaming down his cheeks. His chest heaved as he gasped to catch his breath.

“It’s,” Cole coughed into his fist, “not Connor’s fault.” 

Connor let go of Cole’s arm to rub soothing circles on his back. 

“I…” Cole looked up. First to Connor, then to Hank. “I had another attack at school.” The child’s voice faded out as he looked to the floor, waiting for the suffocating sympathy he didn’t want.

Hank’s eyes softened before looking pointedly at Connor.

“Why didn’t you tell me? You were supposed to tell me when this happens!”

Connor stood rigidly straight and matched Hank’s accusatory tone.

“I tried to contact you. So did the school but after receiving no reply I figured that you were likely too busy to collect Cole so I took the initiative and brought him home myself. I thought you’d be happy I was there for your son when you couldn’t be.”

Hank snarled, tempted to fire at the android for that remark alone. He’d drop everything for Cole in a heartbeat.

The lieutenant turned to Cole who nodded tearfully in agreement, lip still quivering as fresh waves of tears ran down his face. Hank tried to ignore the subtle feeling of betrayal. He’d sacrifice anything for Cole – everything – and still, he clung to the android devoutly. Hank couldn’t understand it. He turned on his heel and strode out the door, pulling it shut with a resounding bang.

As soon as the door had closed, Cole lunged for Connor, curling his arms around the android as he cried into Connor’s white shirt. As if a dam had broken, Connor felt a surge of emotion, he had no idea if it was Cole’s tears or almost dying that triggered it but Connor found himself returning the gesture, stooping down and hugging Cole tightly in the middle of the living room.


	4. A Night We'll Never Forget

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took way too long to finish and I will try my best not to keep you guys waiting this long for the rest. Updates are definitely going to be slow but this story will be finished eventually!!
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who is still with me on this - you guys are the absolute best. I treasure your comments and kudos so much, I love to hear what you all think

Connor sat in the darkened living room with Sumo strewn over his lap, snoring loudly. The android let his fingers glide over Sumo’s fur, following the curve of his chest that rose and fell each time the dog took a deep breath.

Connor’s LED cast a yellow hue over the couch. The android wished he could turn it off and blend into the shadows. Fortunately, save for the dog, Connor found himself alone in the empty room. The android normally took this time to monitor his inner workings and ensure he was capable of running smoothly, however, tonight Connor kept himself awake. Hank had yet to return home and Connor wanted to try his hand at setting things straight. Though that thought alone was enough keep the android on edge.

It wasn’t until sometime after 1:30 am that Hank arrived at the house. Connor heard the door being eased open carefully, much like the night Hank had first bought him. Despite the action only taking a few extra seconds, Connor found himself wishing that Hank wouldn’t keep him waiting. Anticipation had Connor’s LED blinking red and the android tried to compose himself as Hank slipped into the room.

Connor sprung up as soon as the lieutenant was through the door. Sumo whined as Connor diverted his attention to Hank but settled back down onto the couch, clearly too tired to demand Connor’s attention.

“Hank, I-“ 

The words caught in Connor’s throat. Despite having rehearsed what he had planned to say over and over again, the android seemed to have difficulty actually following through while the lieutenant was standing mere meters away from him.

“I would like to apologise for my actions earlier this evening.”

For a minute Hank didn’t respond in favour of kicking off his shoes and hanging his coat up.

“What exactly are you sorry about?” Hank turned towards the android, standing tall and fixing Connor with a pointed glare. 

“I’m sorry for failing to contact you about the change in Cole’s health.” Connor began carefully, gauging Hank’s reaction. “I am also sorry for leaving the house without receiving prior approval.”

Connor opened his mouth to continue but Hank cut him off.

“What about pulling my son out of school?”

“No.” An air of composure washed over the android leaving the LED on the side of his head momentarily blue. “Cole required assistance and I was there to provide the care he needed while you were away.”

As soon as the words left Connor’s lips, the android straightened up. Completely aware that defying the man who’d bought him surely wouldn’t end well.

“Good.”

Connor blinked in confusion. “I’m sorry?”

“I’m happy you were there for Cole.” Hank’s hostile tone didn’t match what he was trying to say. “Look, Connor, it’s no secret that I’m not a big fan of androids but you did the right thing in helping my kid.”

"I thought you saw me as a threat." Connor knew he was trying Hank's patience but he couldn't help it. Truth be told, Connor thought Hank wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger the next time he was face-to-face with the android.

“I do.” Hank frowned, then corrected himself. “I did.” 

Connor stood to the side and watched the lieutenant try to make sense of his own thoughts.

“I bought you so Cole could be looked after while I’m away. That’s exactly what you’ve done.” Hank sighed heavily and folded his arms. “Like it or not, I can’t fault you on doing your job.”

Connor nodded slowly – carefully. The whole exchange seemed out of character for the lieutenant and though he didn’t receive an outright apology, Connor figured that he got more than what he’d expected. 

“Hank, I- I don’t understand.”

“Connor, what do you remember before you came here?”

Hank swayed slightly on his feet and Connor stepped closer, ready to steady him should he fall. Even in the dim lighting of the living room, Connor couldn't help but notice that Hank looked older. The lieutenant's eyes seemed tired as if the fight from earlier had left him exhausted.

“Nothing.” Connor detected traces of alcohol in the lieutenant’s breath. “My memory files are corrupted.”

Hank nodded. “How would you feel about trying to get fixed up?”

“Hank, I am _your_ android.” Connor kept his voice hushed but audible so that he could be heard by Hank without waking Cole. “That is not my decision to make.”

“Of course, it is!” Hank reeled around to stare at Connor. “Believe me, I know a thing or two about not wanting to remember,” Hank looked away. “The choice is yours. I’m not gonna force you into it.”

“Thank you, Hank.” Connor had no idea where the sincerity came from but it just felt right. The android smiled warmly even though Hank had trouble meeting his gaze.

“Yeah, whatever.” The lieutenant grumbled, starting past Connor. 

“Wait.” Connor grabbed Hank’s arm then promptly dropped it and stepped back, looking somewhat sheepish. “Have you decided whether or not you wish to deactivate me?”

“Fuck, Connor.” Hank looked to the android in exasperation. “If you haven’t figured that out yet, I don’t know what to tell you.”

Connor just stared at the man blankly and Hank forced himself to swing around and look Connor in the eye.

“No, okay? No, I’m not gonna kill you.”

"Androids can't die, Hank," Connor added vacantly. Hank couldn't tell what the android was feeling and Connor was giving nothing away. Even the LED on the side of his head stubbornly remained bright yellow, giving Hank no clues. “You would merely be terminating a program filled with errors – which isn’t a bad thing, after all, I-“

“Connor, just shut up for a second.”

Obediently, Connor stopped talking and watched Hank carefully. The lieutenant was nursing his head, muttering about how he wasn’t nearly drunk enough for this shit. 

“Look, you make my life easier and Cole happy, so you’re staying.”

They lapsed into silence while Connor processed what Hank had just told him. The android seemed to debate whether or not he should say something.

“Are you sure?” Connor asked, his voice quiet and oddly strained. Hank attributed it to him not wanting to wake Cole.

“Yes.” 

In truth, Hank had no idea what he was going to do with the android. Though, he figured that his options were pretty limited. If Hank got rid of Connor now, Cole would never forgive him. Besides, Connor was slowly growing on him and it made the fucker that much more difficult to kill.

“It’s just that I found this in the kitchen.” Connor reached behind himself and tugged free Hank’s .357 Magnum revolver from the waistband of his trousers. 

Hank stilled at the sight of his old gun. He hadn’t seen it in years - hell, he’d completely forgotten about it until Connor brought it up. The last time Hank had touched it was back when Cole had been hospitalized. He'd hidden it away when the kid recovered, after all, he didn't need it now that Cole was still here.

Connor turned the gun over in his hand, opening the chamber and showing it to Hank. The lieutenant was honestly a little concerned by the way Connor handled the firearm so casually as if it wasn't the first time he'd used one.

“How the hell did you find that?” Hank snapped, taking the gun from Connor’s before the android could hurt himself.

“I was dusting and found it on top of the fridge.” Connor kept his eyes on the gun as Hank inspected the weapon. “If you don’t mind me asking, was your intention to use it on me?”

“No!” Hank’s face contorted into a frown. The lieutenant startled himself with the volume of his outburst and he turned nervously to Cole’s bedroom door, wondering if the noise had woken the kid up.

“There’s one bullet in the chamber. That implies that you had a specific target in mind. It also rules out self-defence as if your home were to be invaded, it would be safer to ensure the gun was fully loaded in case of multiple attackers. After spending time with you, I have reached the conclusion that you do not fire unless you believe yourself to be directly threatened. After our exchange earlier, I believe that I fit the criteria perfectly.”

“Fuck, Connor…” Hank muttered under his breath. “I’ve had this gun for years, okay? Long before you showed up. I’ve got a new one since then, anyway.”

As if to prove it, Hank withdrew his MS853 Black Hawk and held it out alongside the revolver for comparison. 

Connor looked unconvinced but didn’t complain. Instead, he eyed the weapon wearily as if he expected Hank to point it between his eyes and fire without a moment’s notice.

“If I am not your target then that only leaves-“ Connor stopped talking, his eyes widening as he reached a new conclusion. “Oh.”

“What?” 

“Hank, do you have suicidal tendencies?” Connor’s voice was quiet and careful but his words still hit the lieutenant hard.

“No.” Hank lied, though he was certain Connor saw right through it. The android actually seemed a better detective than the others down at the station and Hank figured that he would probably make a nice addition to the DPD if he were human.

"Right. I'm sorry about the confusion." Hank could tell that the android was just being polite in not calling him out but he appreciated it nonetheless.

Hank waved the apology off and passed the revolver back to Connor. 

“Here, you can hold onto this.”

Connor floundered as if the gesture was completely unexpected. He found himself stuck between what to say and do with the gun in his hands.

“But, Hank, the P.L. American Androids Act of 2029 strictly forbids androids from carrying or using any type of weapon.”

"Well, you'd best not let anyone see it then."

Hank left out the part about people hunting him down as they spoke. He thought it best not to put too much emotional strain on Connor after the night he’d had so far.

Besides, it could always scare Connor to the point where he’d fire at the slightest provocation and Hank didn’t want Detective Reed to end up on the receiving end – not _really_ , though it might be nice to have some peace and quiet at work while the bastard was recovering in hospital.

"Just don't get carried away," Hank added for good measure.

Connor nodded but held the weapon loosely as if he still expected Hank to snatch it from him, labelling the whole thing a joke and laughing at his expense. To his surprise, Hank made no move to do so, looking completely genuine.

“You really trust me with this?”

“I gave you the gun, didn’t I?” Irritation was starting to show in Hank’s voice again but Connor chalked it down to the fact that the man was likely sleep-deprived.

“Yes.”

“Then obviously I kinda trust you.”

The android couldn’t keep the smile off his face.

Hank moved past Connor; towards Cole’s room, resting his hand on the door handle.

“I tucked him in. He’s fine.” 

The lieutenant nodded, taking Connor’s word for it and letting his hand drop to his side before heading back to his own bedroom.

“I’m sorry about before.” Hank’s voice was quiet and filled with the same softness as when he speaks to Cole. 

To Connor, it was an incredibly heartfelt moment he didn't expect to relive any time soon. Hank was stubborn and guarded but the fact that he was willing to let his façade slip just slightly for Connor caused the android to smile widely, his LED whirling in a mixture of yellow and blue.

“Goodnight, Hank.”

The lieutenant was already through the door before the android heard his reply.

“Goodnight, Connor.”

 

~*~

 

By 7:00 am Connor had two eggs sizzling, sunny-side up. The android poked and pushed them around the pan while slipping Sumo cooked bacon rashers before the others woke up.

There was a muffled thump from down the hallway, Connor was sure that he’d have missed it without his advanced audio processor. The sound was then followed by a door being thrown open and bare feet hitting the ground.

Cole emerged at the entrance of the kitchen, looking panicked and panting as the sudden burst of energy took its toll on him. 

Connor couldn’t resist smiling. Last night he’d honestly believed that Hank would come home and finish him off. The android was certain that tucking Cole into bed would be the last moment he shared with the child. The sight of Cole was a little jarring but not at all unwelcome.

The kid didn’t linger there for long, running forward and lunging for Connor. His hands curled around Connor tightly, fisting the crisp white shirt as he hugged the android. Connor reacted immediately, bending down to scoop the child up in his arms, clinging as tightly as he dared without risking harm to Cole’s lungs. Connor felt Cole soak his shirt with hot tears, his breathing harsh and frantic but the android only held him tighter in response.

“Connor! You’re here!”

“I’m not going anywhere.” The android said, pulling away slightly so Cole could see him smile in reassurance.

Connor watched Cole’s lip tremble as he fought to restrain another wave of tears and Connor reluctantly let him go, setting the child on his usual seat. 

Hank groggily made his way out of bed and into the hallway, lured by the scent of delicious food and animated chatter. He found Connor placing a plate of food in front of his son, smiling as Cole tried to sing along with whatever perky pop song played through the radio.

Cole looked up from his food, seeing Hank standing in the doorway. The kid narrowed his eyes and turned away, huffing angrily.

Hank sighed and made his way past the table, towards the mug of coffee Connor had clearly left for him.

“Good morning, Connor.”

“Good morning, Hank!” The android returned brightly, unaffected by Cole’s sulking.

Cole watched them suspiciously from his seat at the table.

“Are you two friends now?” Cole asked, shovelling another forkful of egg into his mouth.

“ _Best friends_ , right Hank?” Connor smiled innocently but spoke with a teasing lilt to his voice. The android saw Hank frown at him but pretended not to notice.

"Couldn't have put it better myself," Hank grumbled around the rim of his mug.

“But that’s not fair! Connor’s my best friend.” Cole pouted.

Hank laughed in amusement. “Sorry, kid. I guess the android just likes me more.”

“That’s not true!” Cole reached for Connor’s sleeve, tugging him closer. “Tell him, Connor!”

“Of course, you’re my favourite but don’t tell Hank – he gets jealous.” The android said with a wink, causing Cole to burst into a bout of laughter.

Hank rolled his eyes, smiling fondly as he shooed the two of them away to get ready for school. Cole’s excitable rambling could still be heard from down the hallway.

 

~*~

 

Hank returned home that evening to find Connor and Cole huddled around a Cluedo board, debating whether or not it was possible for Professor Plum to wind up murdered in the bathroom with the candlestick. Needless to say, Connor didn’t really understand board games, though Hank did threaten him with the fact that there was no getting out of their infamous ‘Anderson Family Game Nights’. The android figured he could tolerate just about anything if it meant that Hank and Cole saw him as part of the family.

Connor pushed himself onto his feet and made his way across the living room and into the kitchen, giving Hank some time to catch up with his son. 

"Just sandwiches tonight, Connor," Hank called after him.

The android turned around and frowned in confusion but Cole held Hank’s full attention as he chatted non-stop about his day. Connor knew that he was no chef but Hank and Cole did seem to enjoy when he prepared a hot meal for the two of them to sit down to. 

Connor brushed the matter off and busied himself with stacking an assortment of fillings between slices of bread. Hank joined him and peered over the android’s shoulder as he was passing the knife through the sandwiches, dividing the bread from one corner to the other.

Hank didn’t bother with a plate, simply grabbing half of the sandwich and taking a large bite out of it. The lieutenant frowned as he chewed the food, pausing to stare at Connor in confusion.

“It’s hummus and avocado.” Connor clarified, standing to the side and looking way too pleased with himself.

Hank rolled his eyes. “I’d have liked something with a little more flavour.”

“Hank, I won’t make you another chicken and bacon melt. It would be preferable for you to stick to foods which contain lower levels of fat and salt.”

The lieutenant didn’t reply, taking another bite out of the sandwich and shooting Connor a petulant glare.

“If you don’t mind me asking, why did you want sandwiches tonight?” Connor inquired somewhat carefully. The android was certainly a lot more comfortable around Hank but he still found himself hesitant when it came to questions that pried into Hank’s private affairs.

“I’ve got that thing with the android guy.” Hank lightly hit the counter in frustration as he tried to recall the exact words Fowler used.

Connor just looked at him in confusion.

“It’s an interview with one of the manufacturers, I think.” Hank shrugged. “Either way, it’s a giant waste of my time.”

“You’re going to speak to a Cyberlife manufacturer?” Connor asked, frowning slightly.

“Unfortunately.”

Despite his complaining, Hank had no problem finishing off the last of his food, washing it down with a glass of water and brushing crumbs off the front of his shirt. 

Connor lingered nearby, looking at Hank expectantly as if something had been left unsaid. It didn’t take the lieutenant long to catch on to Connor’s staring.

“What?” Hank asked him, direct and straight to the point.

“I’ve thought about it and I-“ Connor hesitated as his LED blinked from blue to yellow then back to blue. “I think I’d like to remember.”

“Are you sure about that?”

Hank was naturally sceptical. Connor hadn’t really wanted something before and it was difficult to tell if Connor was speaking honestly or just giving Hank the answer he thought the lieutenant wanted. 

“Yes.” 

Hank shrugged in indifference. "Alright, but let me know if you change your mind."

Though Hank took his answer, he still wanted Connor to know that he had an out if he started having second thoughts later on.

The android nodded dutifully but the action seemed too robotic as if it were a line of programming talking and not Connor himself.

Hank didn’t comment on it and opted to busy himself with fishing about in his pocket for the key to his car.

“Okay, you’re coming with me.” Hank nodded to Connor who looked slightly taken aback by Hank’s sudden proposal.

“Now?”

“Of course. If there’s somebody who can sort out what’s going on in there it’s the people who made you in the first place.” Hank gestured vaguely to Connor’s head, then made his way into the living room.

Connor followed him, lagging a few paces behind, seemingly still a bit dazed by how quickly things seemed to be moving. 

"You too, kid," Hank called towards Cole who lay on the floor challenging Sumo to a game of tug of war with one of the dog's favourite toys. Cole pouted but dropped his end of the rope, leaving Sumo victorious as he trotted away, toy secured in his mouth.

“Do I have to go?” Cole whined, dragging his feet as he followed his father. “Can’t I just stay home?”

“Sorry, son but there’d be nobody there to look after you.”

Cole folded his arms, muttering quietly. “There’s Sumo.”

Hank barked a laugh. “We both know Sumo is far too lazy for that.” As if to prove his point, Hank turned towards Sumo, who was already happily gnawing on the toy between his paws.

Cole heaved a heavy sigh but didn’t protest anymore. He grabbed Connor’s blanket and pulled it over his shoulders, wearing it like an oversized cape. Cole then picked up his tablet and made his way to the car.

Connor slid into the passenger seat as he waited for Hank to finish locking the house before joining them.

The lieutenant dawdled, locking and unlocking the door as if biding his time. Hank’s reluctance was obvious but unexpected. Connor had seen Hank driving before and it hadn’t been an issue until now. 

Eventually, the lieutenant slid into the driver’s seat, clicking his seatbelt into place and dragging his hands up to take hold of the steering wheel in a white-knuckled grip.

“Hank? Are you alright?”

Hank didn’t respond for a minute then he turned to Connor. “Can you drive?”

Connor didn’t expect the question but replied truthfully. “Yes, I can.”

“Great.”

Hank undid his seatbelt and hastily scrabbled out of the car. Connor took the hint, following suit and swapping places with Hank.

Connor slowly reversed the car out of the driveway, taking time to check the road’s conditions as the car rolled backwards.

“Where to?” 

"Cyberlife Tower," Hank replied, his voice still somewhat strained. "There’s no way they’ll let us in the tower itself but there’s probably some offshoot somewhere nearby.”

Connor nodded in acknowledgement, quickly searching the buildings coordinates and planning a route accordingly.

Hank turned in his seat, looking back at Cole who had burrowed under the blanket and was slouched against the window. The kid’s eyelids drooped as he was slowly lulled to sleep by the gentle purring of the car’s engine.

“It’s not your fault, you know?” Connor spoke quietly, without taking his eyes off the road.

“Hmm?”

Hank spun round as Connor’s voice broke his musing. 

“The car accident.”

“How the fuck would you know?” Hank glared at the side of Connor’s head. The lieutenant kept his voice low in favour of letting Cole rest but there was an underlying threat that Connor should choose his next words very carefully.

“You shouldn’t blame yourself for something you could not control.” 

“How do you know that it wasn’t my fault? I was the one driving, Connor. I should have seen it.” Hank sank back into his seat. “I should have seen it.”

Connor spared the lieutenant a concerned glance out the corner of his eye.

“Cole doesn’t blame you.”

Hank knew that Connor was trying to be reassuring but the mention of his son renewed Hank’s sense of guilt.

“Maybe it would be better if he did.” Hank craned his neck to watch Cole as he slept. “I was the one who did that to him.”

Connor took a moment, trying to think of the right thing to say. Hank seemed inconsolable and stubbornly set in his ways, the android doubted there was anything he could say to change the man’s mind.

“I am so scared of losing him.” Hank stared out the window as he spoke, eyes glassy and glazed over. For a moment Connor doubted that he was supposed to have heard the lieutenant’s words but Hank looked to him wearily as if waiting for a response. “What about you, Connor? Have you ever lost something you loved?”

“No. I don’t think I have.” The android’s voice was cold and robotic but Hank didn’t seem to care.

Connor tried to distance himself from memories of the previous night, of Cole begging him through his tears - pleading for Connor to still be there in the morning.

Hank let slip a humourless laugh. 

“Sometimes I wish I didn’t feel anything.” Hank glanced over at Connor. “Kinda funny, isn’t it?”

“What is?”

“As much as I hate androids, it might be nice if I was one. You’ve just gotta do what you're told - no need to take responsibility or make choices. You don’t have to worry about emotions fucking you up either.” 

Connor didn’t comment even though he wanted to. In theory, Hank was right. Androids were just machines accomplishing a task. Connor was _supposed_ to be the same, he was supposed to follow orders and act logically – but he didn’t and that thought scared him almost as much as losing the little family he’d come to love.

“You said ‘sometimes’.”

“Hmm?”

“If being human is so awful, why haven’t you- um – you know?” It was obvious that Connor regretted the words as soon as he said them and Hank couldn’t help but laugh at the way Connor tried to backpedal.

The android eyed Hank nervously but the lieutenant shrugged him off. He shifted in his seat, looking up to the rear-view mirror; watching as Cole slept soundly in the back of the car.

"Because for as much as life fucking sucks, there are some things that are worth all the bullshit."

 

~*~

 

Hank was right, they weren’t permitted into Cyberlife Tower itself. Instead, they were directed to one of the factories somewhere nearby. 

The building wasn’t nearly as pristine and beautiful as the Tower but it was still pretty imposing. Cyberlife obviously had an image to maintain and Hank figured that while only a few humans ever ventured inside places like this, it was still important to impress those who did get a chance to glimpse the building’s interior.

Connor brought the car to a stop near the entrance, then waited patiently for the lieutenant to tell him what to do next. 

Hank released his seatbelt and twisted around so that he could gently shake Cole awake. He did consider just letting the kid sleep but if Cole woke up in a strange place without Hank or Connor there, he might end up in hysterics and that was not something Hank thought he could deal with on a Wednesday evening.

“Hey, kid…”

Cole shrugged his dad’s hand off and rolled over. 

“C’mon, Cole, we’re here.”

Hank watched Cole slowly open his eyes, yawning as he pulled himself out of repose. 

The lieutenant stepped out, motioning for Connor to follow him. Hank moved to the rear of the car, opening the door for Cole to jump out.

The kid shrugged the blanket off his shoulders, letting it pool in a heap on the car seat. Cole then grabbed his tablet and joined Hank and Connor.

Together, they made their way to the entrance. Connor pulled on the door, upon finding it open he ushered Hank and Cole inside. While neither of them complained about the cold, the android could tell that they were certainly feeling the beginnings of a fast-approaching winter.

The foyer was simple and modern. There was certainly a lack of furniture but in a factory primarily occupied by robots, there wasn’t much need for chairs. The room was dim but strip lighting cast a gentle blue glow over the trio as they looked about their surroundings.

Hank took a seat on the small, plush sofa. He leant over the arm of the couch, retrieved a magazine from the coffee table and swiped at it idly, searching for an article that interested him. 

“Connor, look!”

Cole grabbed the android’s hand, tugging him over to the far end of the room where a large fish tank stretched from the ceiling to the floor. 

The kid pressed his hands against the glass, his face frozen in childlike wonder as he watched the scales shimmer under blue light.

“What’s that one?”

Connor took a closer look, inspecting the fish that had Cole mesmerised.

It was large compared to the others swimming about in the tank. Sporting both red and blue scales, it obviously stood out among the others.

“It’s a Dwarf Gourami,” Connor replied. “Originally from Ganges Delta, India.”

There was something about this particular fish that made Connor uneasy, though the android couldn’t figure out why.

“Lieutenant Anderson?”

Hank looked up, spying a tidy-looking businessman hovering in the doorway. Connor remained where he stood with Cole, leaving Hank to sort out the formalities while he kept Cole occupied.

The lieutenant only left them for a few minutes before returning and gesturing for Connor and Cole to follow them. The man, Connor decided, was friendly enough. He was more than happy to answer the endless stream of questions Cole threw at him while filling Hank in on a brief history of the company. The android lagged a few paces behind as they walked, happy to let Hank and Cole take the lead.

The man’s office was located on the top floor. He unlocked the door, allowing the three of them inside. 

“Simon, here, will take your coats.”

Another android stepped forward, offering a closed-lip smile in greeting. That smile faded as soon as he caught sight of Connor standing behind Hank and his son.

Before Connor could process the situation, his LED flashed a bright red. There was something about Simon that Connor found disturbing, though his memories were so distorted that it was near impossible to decipher anything that may have triggered such a reaction.

The PL600 took the red light as a warning. A clear sign that he should stay away, lest Connor react badly – to say the least.

Connor set about going through the files saved in his head in an attempt to find something that would clue him in to the exact threat this android posed. The PL600’s appearance was familiar but Connor figured that thousands of them had been made, the design was hardly unique and any sense of familiarity it brought could easily be written off as a coincidence.

Connor immediately took Cole’s hand, gently tugging the kid behind him, while keeping his eyes trained on Simon. Cole didn’t seem to mind, still looking around at the jet-black sculptures of people carved into intricate poses.

“Can I get you anything?” The man in the suit asked, smiling politely at Hank.

"A coffee would be great." Hank returned, making his way into the centre of the room. "Cole would be happy with orange juice if you have any." He then added as if just remembering that he'd brought his son along too.

“No problem.” He glanced over at his android. “Simon?”

The PL600’s LED pulsed yellow at the mention of his name but he didn’t move immediately, as if turning his back on Connor was a daunting notion in itself. Still, the android reluctantly complied and hastily moved through one of the doors situated at the far end of the room.

As soon as Simon left, Connor relaxed. He stepped aside, letting Cole hurry past and plant himself on one of the neat couches, beside his father. Hank clearly looked out of place as he slouched forward, his worn leather jacket didn’t fit with the untouched white décor.

Connor followed them, somewhat restrained in his movements as he took a seat on the other side of Cole. He perched on the edge of the sofa, ready to jump up should the businessman have an issue with it.

To Connor’s right, Cole pulled out his tablet. His short fingers ran over the narrow edges, finding a small button and holding it down until the screen lit up a bright white. 

The android frowned. There was something telling him that Cole’s tablet was significant, that it played a large role in piecing together some bigger narrative that was just beyond his reach.

Cole swiped at the screen, unlocking it and immediately launching a game to help him pass the time while his Dad talked business with the man in the grey suit who sat opposite them.

Connor knew he should be paying attention to the conversation Hank was having with the smartly-dressed man but he couldn’t bring himself to take his eyes off Cole – or more specifically, the device in his hands. For some reason, it gave him an unplaceable feeling of déjà vu, though Connor knew it was likely just one part of a distorted memory. 

Normally Cole’s tablet wouldn’t have raised any alarm bells but tonight it did and even more frustratingly, Connor couldn’t figure out why. It had to be something to do with that android. The PL600 coupled with a tablet and that fish, had Connor reeling.

There was also a noise. A sound playing on repeat through Connor’s head as he tried to decipher it. Among the static, Connor could recognise one sound in particular. It was broken and disjointed but unmistakable all the same – a child’s scream.

Simon returned carrying a tray with several cups balanced on top. The white china rattled ever-so-slightly. Connor was sure the sound went unnoticed by Hank, though with his advanced audio processor, it was easy to pick up on. 

He was shaking. Connor noted. Ever so slightly, the PL600’s hands twitched, causing the cups to rock on their saucers, though Simon seemed intent on not letting a drop spill over the edge.

Expertly, Simon pinched the edge of a saucer, lifting it off the tray and gently lowering it into Hank’s waiting hands. The lieutenant didn’t look up, seemingly too deep in conversation with the man opposite him to pay the android much attention aside from a curt ‘thank you’. The delicate cup looked ridiculously small in Hank’s hands though he didn’t seem bothered by it.

The businessman came next, accepting the drink from the PL600 before Simon moved onto Cole. Simon turned to look at the boy, who was still immersed in the game on his tablet. The android took a tentative step forward but stopped short as Connor leant forward, a very real threat shining in his brown eyes. 

Simon seemed to take the hint, setting the glass of juice down on the coffee table quickly and backed away, he’d turned the now-empty tray upwards as a makeshift shield as he moved quickly backwards. Connor’s eyes followed him all the way to the kitchen.

Connor had no idea what had happened in his past to trigger such a reaction but he was sure that it was far from pleasant. It was clear Simon recognised him, though he seemed scared – really scared. While the distorted footage of the android in Connor’s head did seem distressed, it was far from composed. Connor frowned in annoyance as if the pieces didn’t fit. 

“Connor?” The android looked up, LED switching to blue for the first time since they’d entered the office. “Are you alright?”

“Of course, Hank. Why wouldn’t I be?” Connor tried a shaky smile he knew Hank wouldn’t believe.

“You seem kind of... _tense_.” 

That was obviously an understatement. The android was poised like a trained attack dog, ready to snarl at Simon the moment he decides to return. 

Hank turned to the businessman as if just remembering the reason he’d brought Connor along.

“This is Connor.” Hank gestured to the android. “He says that he’s got some trouble remembering stuff. I was wondering if you knew anyone that could help.”

The man reclined in his chair though he smiled, almost sympathetically. “I’d offer our best technician but the soonest Daniels would be in is next Tuesday.”

Daniels. The name seemed important though Connor couldn’t quite make it fit. He pondered it for a moment before some sort of disjointed realisation struck him – _Daniel_.

Connor stood up abruptly and started in the direction of the PL600.

“Hey!” Hank called after him. “Where the hell do you think you’re going?”

Connor looked back, thankful that the man seated opposite the lieutenant didn’t seem at all fazed, waving Connor on as he continued talking with his guest.

Connor stopped in the doorway to the kitchen, watching Simon move different cups and utensils around with practised ease.

"Simon," Connor spoke quietly, caught between which name to test first.

The android spun around, sending a white ceramic mug crashing to the floor in the process. Simon didn’t move to clear it and Connor decided against taking another step closer while the android’s LED was whirling such an intense scarlet.

“Stay away from me!” Simon pressed himself against the counter in a pitiful attempt to extend the distance between them. 

“I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to ask you some questions.”

Connor held his hands out risking a small step forward in an attempt to placate the android.

Simon looked about the room, trying his best to find a way out. His eyes fell on the door the same moment Connor realised what he was about to do. 

Simon surged forward, hoping to perfect the timing and bypass Connor altogether. Connor, however, was not about to let him go so easily. He curled his arms around Simon’s waist, throwing him off balance as they both stumbled to the floor.

Simon writhed and kicked out, striking the panel above Connor’s thirium pump and sending the android rolling backwards across the cold kitchen floor. Connor saw Hank’s revolver slip from the waistband of his trousers as Simon made a break for the door. 

Abandoning the gun, Connor cut him off. Rolling over onto his stomach and pushing himself up, Connor managed to block the exit.

Simon recoiled as Connor reached for his arm, the android only managing to snatch his wrist as he pulled away. 

Simon tried to tug himself free, whining in an adrenaline-fuelled mixture of fear and frustration when Connor’s grip didn’t let up.

In a last-ditch effort to free himself, the android kicked out, dragging a shard of the ceramic mug closer. He then dropped down, gripped it tightly and swung upwards. Simon used his momentum to land a blow directly across Connor's face.

Connor stumbled back, dropping Simon’s wrist in the process. Simon struck out again in an attempt to drive Connor even further backwards, however, this time Connor managed to bring his hands up to stop the makeshift weapon from doing any real damage. The sharp edge sliced the back of Connor’s hand, causing blue blood to spill onto the white kitchen tiles beneath their feet.

Though Simon was free, Connor still stood guard of the door, albeit somewhat disorientated from the fight. The android looked around seeing his ticket out and ceasing it.

He lunged for the revolver, taking it up clumsily and pointing it in Connor’s direction.

“Don’t come any closer!” Simon clutched the gun in both hands, a finger hovering over the trigger.

Connor heard a gunshot, felt the way thirium seeped out of the open wound in his left arm. The thrumming of the helicopter overhead buzzed in his ears while cold wind tried to force him back. 

Connor slowly started towards Simon. 

“I’ll fire.” 

Daniel and Simon were not one in the same. They were entirely different and Connor had been forcing Simon into a memory where he didn’t fit. 

"No, you won't," Connor told him with certainty, relieved to finally be back on the right track. "I know you, don't I?"

Simon almost looked offended but didn’t open his mouth to reply.

It all made sense, Simon hadn’t reacted to Hank or Cole but it seemed as if there was some kind of unfinished business he had with Connor which spurred him into breaking.

Hushed whispers from the living reached Connor’s ears and from the look on Simon’s face, he’d head them too. The unmistakable sound of Hank’s heavy boots taking steady strides towards the door prompted Simon into moving.

The android took a few tentative steps around the outskirts of the kitchen, taking care not to slip on the blue blood and although the PL600's blue eyes shone with fear, his features were set in a slight frown. Connor recognised the emotion as determination. 

Simon was still willing to fight even as the lieutenant drew closer and while it was obvious that Connor could hold him back once again, Simon made for the door. The same stubborn look on his face as if he had everything to lose. 

Connor found himself wanting to ask what it was. Who was the person this android was so desperately fighting for? 

As Simon made his escape, Connor reached out weakly, his fingertips barely brushing the grey Cyberlife uniform in a pathetic attempt to stop Simon before he dipped out the door. Connor's hand fell to his side in defeat, though there was a traitorous line of code which spoke to him like a voice in the back of his head, reminding him exactly what role he played in letting the android go.


End file.
